Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)
by Yukikaze101
Summary: A continuation of KurobaraIto's "Digital x Dragon." Issei Hyoudou has won Sona Sitri's heart... not that he knows that yet. He doesn't know that was the easy part, either. (Issei x Sona (plus Student Council-centric harem in later chapters); Smart!Issei; Different Sacred Gear!Issei; warnings for fluff, lemon, silliness, and author's musical tastes.)
1. INTERLUDE: Final Patch

_Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

I don't own _High School DxD_. My bank account would look _way_ different if I did!

This is based on the fanfic _Digital x Dragon_ by KurobaraIto (with their permission/approval), and is intended to function as a conclusion to it (and possibly as a springboard for further stories in their continuity that incorporate ideas of my own. More on that at the end of the fic).

* * *

"What are _you_ doing back here again?" Saji stood in the doorway. His glower seemed almost tangible, and Issei felt oddly (and amusedly) guilty for not catching fire from the sheer force of it.

"Just here to talk to sempai," he said, an awkward smile on his face. "C'mon, Saji, lemme through." He tried to scoot around the Council secretary, but Saji shifted again, resuming the in-your-face stance. "You may have the others fooled, but I know your reputation, Hyoudou."

"Um, everyone does, it's not like a state secret…" Issei was seriously starting to get irked. "Saji, you know I'm working with the Council and computerizing their records. Why're you hassling me about this?"

"Th-that's not important! You should just listen when I tell you you're not wanted - "

"Lighten up, Saji-kun." Tsubasa came up behind the secretary, gently nudging him to the side, and gave Issei a smile. "There you are, Hyoudou-kun. Keeping the kaichou waiting, for shame." She mock-waggled her index finger at him, making him chuckle.

"Thanks, Yura." Issei resisted the urge to give Saji a smirk as he squeezed past. It was close, though.

Sona was waiting at her desk, and gave Issei an old-fashioned look. There was no real heat or reproach behind it, though. By now, there never was. "Running late, Hyoudou-san?"

"Sorry, sempai. I didn't expect the traffic cop." He jerked his head in Saji's direction; the latter reddened and looked away sharply with an irritated sniff.

Sona shook her head. "I'll have a word with him." She nodded at the bulging binder under his arm. "It's so odd to see you carting around hardcopy. Is this research for _that_ project?"

Issei nodded. "I'm afraid so. I had to make a bunch of copies at the library, and this sure wouldn't fit in the getabako, so..." He smiled sheepishly. "I'm starting to think RSS may be the key, but it's early days yet for that." He dropped the binder on the floor, and fished out his smartphone. "I have our notes from last time. Shall we begin?"

Sona set her laptop on her desk, opening it. "Let's."

* * *

Sona covered her mouth, imperfectly hiding a yawn. (With her eyes momentarily closed, she didn't notice Issei's quick, blushing glance as he fought to keep from staring.) "I think that will suffice for today."

Issei stretched and yawned himself. It was his turn to miss Sona's gaze resting fondly on him. "Well, you've sold me on that." His stomach growled, softly but audibly, and he had the good grace to redden. "Oops."

Sona gave him a gently chiding look. "Did you skip lunch again?"

He shrugged. "I had some programming notes I needed to jot down. If I don't get it written when I have the thought - "

" - it never happened," she finished. This was not a new conversation for the two of them. "I understand. Still, you shouldn't miss lunch." Her eyes glinted behind her glasses, with a faint mischief few would have believed the Student Council president capable of. "Otherwise, I'm going to require you to eat lunch with the Council every day."

"Then I'm afraid that's exactly what you'll have to do, kaichou," he said with perfect mock-gravity. The two of them smirked good-naturedly at each other. (Unnoticed by either of them, Tsubaki smiled faintly and wrote a brief reminder in her notebook.)

Issei's stomach decided to weigh in on the matter, louder this time.

"That's our cue," Sona stated, finishing packing up her school bag. "Oh, Hyoudou-san, go ahead and leave that binder here. That looks like it'll be a pain to take home."

"Thanks, sempai, but I had better get started going through these tonight." He laughed self-effacingly, unable to quite keep a bitter note out of his voice. "Maybe I'm a masochist or something. But I just keep coming up with projects so I have an excuse to see you. Well, to see all of you," he quickly amended, and stifled a yawn.

Sona gave him a wry smile. "Hyoudou-san, you're my friend… and a friend of the Council. You don't need a pretext if you want to come see us."

"Kaichou's correct, Hyoudou," Tsubaki chimed in, adjusting her glasses. "You're always welcome in the Council room."

"Saji doesn't seem to agree," Issei muttered. He couldn't quite keep a jealous note out of his voice, and for some reason that made Sona feel strangely warm.

Aloud, she said archly, "Whatever he may think, _I_ run the Council, not him. And _I_ say you can visit us whenever you like."

"Thanks," he said earnestly, the smile lighting up his face.

"But seriously, leave the binder here," she said, a stern note entering her voice. "I want you to relax and rest tonight."

Issei sighed, set the binder on the desk, and sketched a mock-salute in Sona's direction. "Yes, sempai."

* * *

This had become a habit.

At least once a week, Issei would wind up summoning a member of the Student Council to help him with his programming work, either to double-check his work or for moral support. It had been Yura several times, and Kusaka twice. (It had been a pleasant surprise to find that Yura shared his taste in music. That entire evening, they'd been listening to and singing along with MGMT's _Oracular Spectacular_ while he plugged away at the keyboard.)

Once it had been Saji. That hadn't been a very good night; the Student Council secretary had spent the entire evening glaring holes into the back of Issei's head. The resulting effect on his productivity had been predictable.

But, far and away, Sona was the one who showed up most often.

It was probably a sign of her comfort level with him that she didn't appear in her school uniform. Instead, she wore slim-fitting blue jeans and a grey sweatshirt reading LILITH UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC DEPT. The casual clothing made her look somehow younger and freer than the Student Council president in her school uniform, and he was enchanted by the sight of her.

"The last project is finished," Sona pointed out. "You're not starting the next one until next week. And developing the Devil Summoning App is something that's long-term, anyway. So, you just summoned me for… company?" She sounded surprised, but not displeased.

"Yeah!" Issei hesitated, then asked, "That's okay, right?"

"Certainly," Sona answered. Was it just him, or was she really quick off the mark to answer? "Whatever you like."

Silence hung in the air as the devil and the deviant contemplated what to say next.

"Can I get you a drink?" Issei finally asked, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"Ah, thank you. Ice water will be fine."

"Be right back." Issei darted out of the room, returning quickly with two glasses of ice water and a bag of chips. "In case you're hungry later," he told her.

"Very thoughtful," she replied.

"Thanks," he said, his cheeks coloring.

The two of them lapsed back into semi-companionable silence.

"Um, do you play video games?" Issei asked finally.

"I never have," Sona replied. "Perhaps you can show me sometime."

"Definitely," he agreed, relieved by her apparent polite demurral. He'd forgotten that his eroge were still out in the open. "So. You play chess for fun, huh?"

"I do." Apparently, "chess" was the magic word, because Sona suddenly seemed… if it were possible to be both restrained and animated, that's what she was right now. "Do you, Hyoudou-san?"

That intense look of interest, the way she leaned forward with her eyes on his… Issei felt the heat rising to his face. He had to admit it, even if it was just to himself: Shitori-sempai was just too cute.

"I've played it some, yeah. It's been a really long time, though, and I was never very good at it," he answered, rubbing the back of his head. He was torn between wanting her eyes to stay on his, and wanting her looking elsewhere.

"Ah, I see." She broke her gaze, looking to the side for her bag, and he felt both relief and regret. After a moment's rummaging, she pulled out a small and remarkably well-crafted portable chess set. "Perhaps you'd play me tonight?" She smiled slightly. "If you like, consider this the payment for keeping you company."

"Sure," Issei said, her smile making his heart race. He tried to shove that observation to the back of his mind. "Just be patient with me. Like I said, I was never great at it."

"I have all night if you do." Sona opened the case and laid out the board.

* * *

Issei yawned and looked at the clock. "Oh, man, it's one already?" He glanced at the game board and sighed before laughing. "At least now I can blame my lousy playing on being tired!"

Sona chuckled. "You're a better player than you think, Hyoudou-san. That last game was more challenging than I expected."

"Nice of you to say - " He yawned again, this one accompanied by a full body stretch. (Unnoticed by him, his T-shirt rode up enough to briefly expose his stomach, and Sona's gaze lingered. Apparently, a regular regimen of running away from angry kendoka did a body good.) "Wow. Feel a little lightheaded now," he added in a tone of deep exhaustion.

"As you said, it's one in the morning," Sona said dryly. She patted the pillow. "It's time you went to sleep, I think."

"You're probably right," he agreed, sitting on the bed and immediately flopping over. His head hit the pillow, and Sona stifled the urge to stroke his hair.

Or to pull him in for a lap pillow.

The latter thought made her cheeks burn, and kindled a warm feeling inside her heart. It was kind of funny how often Hyoudou-san provoked that reaction in her. "Kinda don't want to, though. Not while you're here." Tired as he was, he didn't notice the way that made her smile.

"I'll be on my way, then," she said, and started to rise.

She stopped short, stunned silent by the feel of his fingers wrapping around her wrist. The next words he said, half-asleep and unfiltered as he was, sealed the deal. "Please stay. I like it when you're here with me."

She closed her eyes, her heart thudding in her ears like a kettle drum. "I feel… the feeling's mutual, Hyoudou-san," she managed, her face feeling even hotter now. "But there's always tomorrow."

"Don't want you here tomorrow. Want you here _now_." There was a childish quality in Issei's voice now, but that just made the emotions behind his words even more evident. "I want both. I don't feel like I can relax unless you're here."

"You flatter me," Sona said softly, not quite looking at Issei.

"Nah. Not flattery. Something 'bout you is - " Another yawn, and then, in a voice Issei thought too low for Sona to hear, "This keeps up, I won' be able to fall asleep 'less you're here…" The fingers around her wrist started to relax, finally going entirely limp.

Sona rested a hand on his shoulder, leaving it there until his breathing evened out into gentle snoring. She packed up her school bag, summoned a magic circle, but paused before stepping into it.

After a few moments of internal debate, she leaned down and kissed Issei's forehead, smoothing his bangs back from it. He murmured her name, barely audible even to her, like a prayer, and her breath caught for a moment.

Only then did she step into the circle.

* * *

"Sempai, did I say anything weird last night?" Issei rubbed at his eyes. It was odd, but last night he'd slept better than he hand in the last month. Even more odd, when he'd awoken he'd felt a faint, lingering warmth on his forehead. He couldn't quite keep from touching it.

"Not at all, Hyoudou-san," Sona told him. "You said nothing last night I found offensive."

"Good," he said, relieved. Then, he mentally rewound, reviewing her words, and hung his head. "That's not the same thing as saying 'no, you didn't say anything weird last night.'"

"No, it's not," she replied, looking faintly amused. Unnoticed by Issei, the other members of the Student Council glanced at them with amused - and, in most cases, approving - smiles. (Except for Saji, who was in a full-on sulk.) "Here. I have a proposal for you."

"Another project?" he asked, taking the sheet of paper.

"No. An open-ended contract. Every Thursday night, I visit you. If there is a project you're working on for the Council, I help you with that. If not, then we simply keep each other company." The room was oddly silent, save for Saji gnashing his teeth. "Maybe this Thursday, you can show me one of your video games."

"Yeah! That sounds great." Issei didn't even try to keep the shit-eating grin off his face. (Although he did make a mental resolution to bury his eroge somewhere deep in his closet.) His eyes flicked across the text of the contract, and his eyebrows shot up. "Are you sure this is a fair price, though? It seems like you're getting the short end of the stick."

"Believe me, I'm not." Sona beamed at him (a restrained kind of beaming, but beaming nonetheless). Once again, he was blown away by how she looked when she smiled. (Saji's sulk became so intense at this, that it achieved Balance Breaker in of itself.) "This is a price I'm quite satisfied with. I find it rewarding, playing chess with you."

Somehow, Issei sensed there was a subtext he was missing, a joke he wasn't in on. It didn't seem like he was the butt of the joke, though. If anything, it was the opposite. It felt like…

 _It's almost like this is a love confession,_ he realized with a start. _And the rest of the Council - except for Saji - are her friends cheering her on._

Issei didn't know if he quite believed that. Or, rather, he was afraid to let himself believe that. It was too much something he wanted.

But he _did_ know that he couldn't pretend anymore. He wasn't sure he'd been trying. He had a thing for Shitori-sempai. And if this helped him get closer to her…

"Whatever makes you happy, sempai," he said with complete honesty. He signed the contract and stood, offering her his hand. "I'm in."

After all, he was definitely getting the better end of the deal.

Sona rose as well, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "A pleasure doing business with you, Hyoudou-san." Her eyes were fondly amused, and her smile was still bright as she gazed at him.

After all, she _knew_ she was getting the better end of the deal.

* * *

(I don't know if I'll write a further sequel to this, at least as a coherent storyline. I have plenty of ideas, but I'm notoriously bad at sustaining a series. A series of interconnected vignettes is not out of the question, though. If I do, it'll be called _Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_. When/if it happens, expect lots of Issei x Sona fluff.)


	2. Chapter 1: Thursday's On My Mind

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. If I owned it, there'd be a blue R33 in my driveway. ;)

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Fluff/silliness warning. Author's musical tastes warning.

* * *

Chapter 1: Thursday's On My Mind

* * *

Those who didn't know Sona Sitri - Shitori Souna, to the uninitiated - very well would probably find nothing out of the ordinary in her mood. A slight, quiet smile, a brisk kind of cheerfulness to the way she tackled the duties associated with the Student Council presidency.

To those who _did_ know her, she might as well have been dancing around, singing while hanging from a lamppost.

Tsubaki had to suppress a smile of her own. She knew exactly what her friend and King was so cheerful.

It was Thursday, after all.

"There," Sona announced, closing her laptop. "All that's left is the festival coordination paperwork."

"We'll need that from Rias-sempai," Tsubaki agreed. "I can go get it, kaichou."

"It's all right. I've been working at this all morning. I could use the break," Sona told her, rising from her desk. She was humming to herself. It wouldn't be audible to human ears.

Tsubasa entered the room, waving to her King and Queen. She set a stack of pamphlets on the desk, paused, and looked quizzically at Sona. "Kaichou? I didn't know you listened to Phoenix..."

Sona froze, and looked at Tsubasa. "Phoenix?"

"The song you're humming. '1901.' Phoenix is the band who sings it." She smirked good-naturedly. "I guess Hyoudou-kun introduced you to them, too, hmm?"

"It's what he had playing last time I was there," Sona said, now slightly red-faced. "You like the same music he does, Tsubasa?"

"Our tastes overlap some," the blue-haired Rook said with a shrug. "We both have that album, though."

"Ah," Sona said, thoughtfully. From the look on her face, Tsubaki thought, their kaichou would probably be humming a different song by the band the next time Hyoudou visited. "Tsubaki and I are heading over to the ORC, Tsubasa. Why don't you accompany us?"

"Sure," Tsubasa said brightly, falling into step with her the other two girls as they left the office. "So. Thursday night, huh?"

"I shouldn't be surprised that everyone on the Council has that on their calendars now," Sona commented dryly.

"I bet Hyoudou is making good progress," Tsubaki prompted. "It's been two months already."

"He's progressing nicely, yes," Sona replied. Despite her words, there was a faint but detectable note of impatience in her voice. "Last time we played, he nearly beat me."

Tsubaki glanced at her King and friend. She hesitated, then spoke. "Kaichou, I have an idea." When Sona looked at her, she said, "I think Hyoudou might improve even faster if he knows."

Sona hesitated herself. The desire to agree with her Queen was apparent in her eyes. So was the stubbornness about holding her tongue. "...I do see your point, Tsubaki. But right now, I think it's best not to tell Hyoudou-san."

"I'm not sure I agree, kaichou," Tsubasa said, wrinkling her nose. "I see him almost as much as you do. And I think he's getting…" She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully. "I think he might be starting to worry that he has a one-sided crush."

Sona whipped around to stare at her Rook, both eyebrows raised. Tsubasa shrugged. "I know better, but he doesn't know what I do."

Sona adjusted her glasses. "Let me give this some thought."

* * *

"Hyoudou-san?" Sona couldn't keep the surprise out of her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hi, sempai." Issei was blushing a little, and looking slightly downcast, but immediately pasted on an exaggerated smile. "I had a question for the ORC. It was a silly thing…"

"You okay, Hyoudou-kun?" Tsubasa asked, eying him. There was definitely something off about him, his usual verve absent. "You look like you're coming down with something."

"I'm fine, really!" Issei insisted, his tone fooling nobody but (maybe) himself. "Just fine. I need to get home… I'll see you tonight, sempai?"

"Yes, of course. The usual time," Sona assured him, looking at him carefully. "You're _sure_ you're okay, Hyoudou-san?"

"Just fine!" Issei all but chirped, the exaggerated cheer in his face and voice painfully obvious. "Have a good afternoon, everyone!" He all but sprinted away from Sona and the others.

Sona looked after him concernedly, looking for a moment like she was going to follow him. Then, with a sigh, she straightened up and continued into the ORC clubhouse.

"I do _not_ like the look of that," Tsubasa murmured to Tsubaki, nodding after Issei. The latter nodded solemnly.

xxxx

"I think that does it for the coordination paperwork," Rias said brightly, shuffling the forms into a manila folder before picking up her teacup. "That's everything, right?"

"Paperwork-wise, yes," Sona answered, looking uncomfortable. "Rias… I'd like to ask about the student who left just before we came in. Hyoudou-san."

"Hyoudou-kun?" Rias asked, pausing in mid-sip. "Oh, that's right. You're friends, correct?" There was a certain knowing look in her eyes.

"Yes, we are." Sona heard the faint note of possessiveness in her tone, and grimaced at the realization that Rias probably had as well. "I'm curious as to what he was doing here."

"You didn't know?" Rias didn't bother to hide her good-natured amusement. "Hyoudou-kun actually visited us to ask questions." She smiled as she contemplated the memory. "He outright asked if chess had something to do with 'devil courtship.'"

Sona's mouth fell open, and she stared as Rias. "He _what_?"

xxxx

" _Thanks for the tea," Issei had muttered, sitting red-faced on the couch in the ORC clubroom. Rias was surprised; if his reputation had been accurate, he would have been eagerly gazing at her chest or trying to look up her skirt. If anything, he almost seemed afraid of her right now._

" _Of course," Rias told him, trying to set him at ease. Now that she thought about it, though, his outbursts of horndog behavior had been declining in frequency. This seemed to correspond with the increased amount of time he was spending doing IT for the Student Council._ And Sona's reports on him have become positively glowing, _she pondered._ Now, isn't _that_ interesting… " _What can the Occult Research Club do for you, Hyoudou-kun?"_

" _I have a question I couldn't find an answer for online," Issei said, looking very awkward indeed. "It's kinda silly, but it's been bugging me… I thought there was a chance you guys could help me."_

" _Certainly, if we can," Rias said expansively. "What's the question?"_

" _Well… you guys know 'bout devils, right?"_

" _We know a few things about them," Rias answered, her reply careful. It was good to be cautious, particularly around questions to do with her own kind._

 _Issei squirmed on the couch, his eyes fixed on the floor. There was something almost endearing about it. Finally, he blurted out, "Do you know anything about devil courtship?"_

" _I'm sorry?" Rias said, looking gobsmacked. She had to give Hyoudou-kun points for the way he kept surprising her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the rest of the ORC equally surprised. Kiba was staring at him with his mouth hanging open, while Koneko was frozen in mid-nibble, one eyebrow quirked upward. Even Akeno's omnipresent gentle smile suddenly had a vaguely frozen quality to it._

" _Devil… courtship?" Rias forced out. Thank Maou Hyoudou hadn't noticed their abrupt lapse in decorum. His eyes were back on the carpet. "How… how do you mean, Hyoudou-kun?"_

" _Does it have anything to do with chess?" Issei asked, his face now doing a credible strawberry impression._

" _Chess? Um…" Everything out of his mouth was throwing Rias for a loop. But she was starting to see…_ Sona. _A laugh threatened to bubble up in her throat, and she choked it down._ So is he the one, Sona? I _never_ would have expected that… although, if he can surprise you the way he's been surprising me…

" _Yeah," he said in a very small voice. "Like, having to beat a devil at chess before she - I mean,_ they'll _date you…"_

Oh, you poor boy, _Rias thought, wincing internally. She cleared her throat, and shook her head. "No, Hyoudou-kun. I'm sorry, but I've never heard of chess being related to courtship among devils." She assumed a thoughtful look. "Although, there have been some indications of chess-like competitions being related somehow to social advancement for devils. So, you weren't entirely off the mark."_

 _Issei's face fell, and Rias felt an urge to pet him on the head. "Oh," he said in a tone that tried not to sound crestfallen, and failed utterly. "Well, thank you anyway. For the tea, and the answer." His head still hanging, he stood._

" _Hyoudou-kun… wait," Rias said impulsively, and looked him in the eye as he turned back around to face her. "This question… someone's teaching you chess, then?"_

 _He bobbed his head in confirmation._

" _A girl?" Her tone was sympathetic, nonjudgmental._

 _He hesitated, then nodded again. She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand before she could say anything. "Please, sempai, I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone."_

" _You're sure we can't change your mind… Hyoudou-kun?" Akeno spoke up, a subtle lilt of seduction in her voice._

" _I'm sorry, no." Issei's reply was flat, and Akeno's expression flickered in surprise at his lack of response. It wasn't angry on his part; rather, it was more like he had dismissed it as irrelevant to him._

This _was the Hyoudou Issei of rumor?_

 _Rias held up a hand, and looked at Issei again. When she spoke again, she didn't sound like one of Kuoh's Two Great Ladies. She sounded like an older sister coaxing her brother to confess to the girl he liked. "Hyoudou-kun, chess is a complex game. If this girl is investing the time and effort to teach you, she clearly feels something for you. Even if it's just friendship, you can probably learn things that will help you in later relationships."_

" _You sure about that?" he answered, unable to keep a hopeful note out of his voice._

" _As much as I can be without knowing who she is," Rias answered, choosing to leave it at that. She smiled faintly at him. "Keep playing chess with her."_

 _Issei's eyes were fixed on hers for a long moment. Finally, he squared his shoulders and took a breath. It looked like he had his second wind now, if nothing else. He nodded. "Thank you, sempai," and he left, his face taking on an expression of resolution._

xxxx

Sona's face was crimson, and her heart pounded like a snare drum during a concert. She didn't dare look at Tsubaki or Tsubasa; she was certain she'd see a gentle "I told you so" in their eyes. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to lecture Issei - _Hyoudou-san, dammit, Hyoudou-san_ \- or kiss him until he ran out of breath.

...no, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. It didn't involve a lecture at all, and involved far more than kissing.

She wanted to call him "Issei-kun" aloud, not just in her head. She wanted to show him how she'd felt about him for… well, for most of the past school year.

The urge to tell him had been growing each day, and even now her patience about it was frayed. But, it would be irresponsible to do so before he beat her.

Right?

But then again, maybe she wasn't doing him a favor by keeping him in the dark about the real stakes...

She jerked herself out of her reverie, and speared Rias with a cool look, that finally relaxed into quiet relief. "All right. Thank you."

"He seems quite smitten with you," Akeno observed in an oh-by-the-way tone. "It's actually rather cute."

The blush that had been starting to fade from Sona's cheeks reasserted itself with gusto.

"He _is_ rather cute, now that I think about it," Rias added offhandedly, watching Sona's face from out of the corner of her eye. "Maybe he'd be interested in - " She stopped, staring at Sona.

Even now, the Student Council president's reactions were subtle, at least to someone who didn't know her. A sudden tightness around her eyes, her knuckles abruptly blanching.

That look of icy fury in her eyes, though, that was new.

So was the abrupt, thirty centimeter-high waterspout the tea in Rias's cup had turned into. It was somehow held into place, but only just, skating the edge of collapsing and splashing all over the ORC president. The cup was literally dancing on its saucer, threatening to topple over. The fact that the tea was now scalding, and sending up enough steam to turn the area around the coffee table into a virtual sauna, was a cherry atop the sundae of Sona's ire.

On either side of Sona, Tsubaki and Tsubasa exchanged looks and subtly scooted away from their leader. Behind Rias, Akeno and Kiba also backed away.

Rias met Sona's eyes, gulping. "I'm kidding, Sona…" She cleared her throat, and repeated, louder, "I'm _kidding_ , Sona. I'm not going to do anything at all to him."

The cold anger in Sona's eyes slowly faded, and the tea returned neatly to Rias's teacup. Not a drop was spilled, and that degree of control was a chilling contrast to the restrained fury of Sona's reaction.

After a moment, Sona let out a breath, and bowed her head. "I apologize for my… outburst."

Rias raised a hand. "I should have known better than to needle you." Her tone held good-natured amusement. "I suppose we don't need to ask how you feel. Hyoudou-kun must have some serious hidden depths, then, to make you react like that. I'd expect nothing less from the man Sona has chosen."

xxxx

"Kaichou…" Tsubaki said, softly but pointedly, as they left the ORC clubhouse.

"Enough, Tsubaki," Sona said, just a little testily. "I… I get it. If…" She sighed, slumping her shoulders for just a moment, then spoke quietly. "If Issei-kun doesn't defeat me tonight, I'll bring him up to speed. And if he does, I'll do the same."

Tsubaki nodded slightly. In a rare moment of affection, she patted Sona lightly on the shoulder. The latter smiled weakly, and squared her shoulders.

"Call him that, kaichou," Tsubasa piped encouragingly. "It'll make him blush and squirm," she added with a grin.

"Thank you, Tsubasa," Sona replied, her tone clearly saying "you're not helping."

* * *

Issei sighed. He knew Gremory-sempai was trying to help, but her attempt at encouragement didn't help his mood as much as he'd hoped. Admittedly, probably nothing short of Shitori-sempai shoving her tongue down his throat actually _would_ help…

He let himself indulge in the fantasy as he walked home, a lecherous grin flashing across his face as he ambled home. (His classmates might have been surprised: it had been sometime since his horndog side had publicly had the steering wheel.) Sempai's face flushed as she straddled him, cupping his face in her hands, her glasses slightly - and cutely - askew, her voice whispering "Issei-kun" in a tone only he could hear. "Issei-kun… Issei-kun…"

"- Issei-kun? Excuse me! Excuse me, please, are you Hyoudou Issei-kun?"

Issei snapped out of his daydream, stopped short by the girl running up to him. She was a true beauty, like a shorter and softer version of Himejima-sempai. Maybe that was why he wasn't immediately reacting to her; he was still a tiny bit miffed at Himejima-sempai's attempt to sweet talk Shitori-sempai's identity out of him. He didn't recognize the uniform, but that didn't mean much. "Um, hi there," he said, forcing a smile. "Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"

She bowed with obvious nervousness. "I'm Amano Yuuma. Um, I know this will come out of the blue, but… but I love you!"

"You what?" he squawked, his mouth falling open.

"Y-you see, we were in middle school together, a-and we only talked a few times, but I started to have a crush on you, and…" She wrung her hands together, looking down. Issei found her adorable. If he wasn't -

But he was. Whether Shitori-sempai was or not...

He cleared his throat. "Um. I'm sorry, Amano-san, but - "

"Do you already have a girlfriend?" She blurted out.

Issei blinked, slightly taken aback by her intensity. "Well, no, but I do have someone I like…"

"But does she like _you_?" Amano pressed. Issei hesitated, and she pressed on before he could respond. "How do you know she doesn't just think of you as a friend? Or as free labor?"

That last one flicked Issei on the raw, and it showed. He _knew_ Sona. She wasn't _like_ that… but…

…it was entirely possible he'd misread her. He'd never been great at reading people, especially women. There'd been a girl he'd crushed on _hard_ in middle school, but he'd made a complete hash of his attempts to get to know her. Murayama was in the kendo club here, now, and her reaction when seeing him was to draw her shinai and try to draw his blood.

That was a bridge he'd haplessly burnt while trying to build it, and that knowledge had never quite stopped stinging.

Oh, it was _entirely_ possible that he'd mistaken her friendship for something deeper. That same feeling of despondency he'd had earlier was threatening to come surging back.

 _No, stop that,_ he told himself, doing so as firmly as possible. _You don't know anything for sure yet. Remember what Gremory-sempai said. And if it's true, then… then you'll figure it out from there._

 _Now, if I can just keep telling myself that.._.

"Even so," he said aloud. "I'm sorry, but I can't say yes unless she turns me down for sure." He put as much resolve as he could into his voice.

To his relief, Amano seemed to take this at face value. She looked disappointed, but nodded, and reached into her pocket. She brought out a card with her LINE information on it, and held it out with both hands. "Please, if you change your mind - !"

Issei took the card gingerly, and nodded at her. She was definitely cute, but something about her was making him uncomfortable. Aloud he said, "S-sure, thanks…"

She gave him a hurried bow, and turned around, walking away quickly.

He stared after her for a long moment, before hurrying home himself. It felt like, if he lingered, the doubt would start eating even more at him.

* * *

"A girl confessed to you today, Hyoudou-san?" Sona looked at him curiously across the game board. On the sideboard sat two glasses of ice water and a bag of chips, the latter a specific brand Issei knew Sona liked.

Issei would like to believe he was picking up a hint of dismay, of jealousy, in Sona's voice. "Yeah. Amano Yuuma-san. She said she went to middle school with me."

"She 'said' she did?" Sona raised an eyebrow. She reached out and made her move.

"Well, it's a funny thing," Issei answered. "I actually went and looked at some class photos from my middle school. The website still had some online." He considered her move, and made one of his own. Two months of this was actually having an effect… although whether it was enough remained to be seen.

"And?" she asked. Her brow was furrowed in thought, something he thought was too cute for words.

Like so much else about her. Like the jeans and blouse she wore tonight. She knew how to rock the nerdy-cute look...

"No sign of her anywhere. Not in my class, and I would have remembered her. She could be Himejima-sempai's little sister." That was an odd flicker in her eyes, but it probably didn't mean anything. "Or in any of the other classes from my year."

"Anything else about her?" Sona's tone sounded a little analytical now, as if she were mentally doing a Google search based on the information he were giving her. Not that that stopped her from making a move. Dammit, he was gonna have to think about that one.

"Well, I didn't recognize the school uniform… that's about it." _Okay, I know!_ He reached out and made a move to counter hers, and was rewarded by another thoughtful frown on her face.

"Hmm. Well… this is just a guess, but… you're aware that there's more than just devils, correct?" Sona looked at him thoughtfully.

"I figured as much. You think she's… what, an angel, or something?"

"Or a fallen one," Sona said, surprisingly. "Or perhaps a youkai, or someone from one of the other mythologies." She smiled at his obvious surprise. "The supernatural world is a diverse and well-populated one, Hyoudou-san."

"I guess so," Issei remarked with a snort. He paused, making his next move, and asked, "Why the hell would she know about me, then?"

"Ah, that. Well…" Sona's cheeks pinked, very faintly. Issei choked down the urge to stare admiringly. "I'm afraid that might be my doing. I mentioned the Devil Summoning App to my sister. She's… well-connected, we'll say, within the supernatural community." She looked up at him, dry amusement in her expression. "There are more than a few people who are fascinated by the idea of modern technology and traditional magic being combined."

"So I'm being watched as a test case, then." Issei snorted again, and shook his head. Sona looked at him, quizzically. "What is it?"

Issei smirked, traces of bitterness in his expression. "Just… it kinda figures, doesn't it? First girl to ever make a love confession to me, and there's a good chance she's actually some supernatural figure wanting to use me for magical tech support or something."

Sona shook her head. "Don't run yourself down like that, Hyoudou-san. You have plenty to offer someone." She gave him a serious look. "Believe me. Only a fool of a girl would let you slip by."

 _You're not a fool, then, right, sempai?_ Issei desperately wanted to ask that. Instead, he said aloud, "You sound awfully sure of that."

She looked at him with gentle admonishment. "I _am_ 'awfully sure' of that."

Issei just bobbed his head noncommittally. He kept his eyes on the board, once again resolving to win tonight. Whatever it took. _Maybe Gremory-sempai is right, after all…_

A deep breath, and he made another move.

xxxx

Sona had arrived just before seven that evening. It was after ten in the evening when the game had reached its conclusion, and both of them were staring at the board.

Issei felt like he'd been through the wringer. He suspected that he looked it, too. The results, though, were sitting right there before him. "I… I won," he said softly, his mind retracing the steps he'd taken to get there.

"Yes." Sona was also staring at the board. In contrast to Issei, who was still processing the fact, she looked relieved, like she'd just set down a tremendous burden. She looked up at Issei, smiling softly. "Do you mind if I take a picture?"

"A picture? Is it that much of a surprise?" Issei wasn't sure whether to feel insulted or not.

"No! It's not that it's a surprise," Sona insisted, her cheeks pinking cutely. "It's… I'll explain in a moment… may I?"

Issei nodded dumbly, watching as she took a photo of the game board and spent a full minute fiddling with her phone.

xxxx

Tsubaki glanced at her vibrating phone and checked the incoming message.

She smiled as she saw the photo of the game board, and the text message reading _24 Oct 0600 GMT_.

xxxx

In the Underworld, Serafall Leviathan perked up as the message tone for her sister played. "Something from So-tan?" she wondered aloud, opening the text.

When she saw its contents, she all but squeed. "So-tan! Good for you! And that must be the nice boy that Tsubaki-chan and the others have been telling me all about…" For the umpteenth time, she opened her phone's photo folder, and pulled up a candid that Momo had been kind enough to discreetly snap of her sister and her new fiance.

"I can tell I'll have to visit soon, and get to know him…" she mused.

xxxx

Sona put away her phone, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. Issei savored the mental picture of her, looking happy and satisfied, and cleared his throat. "Sempai, there's something I really need to - "

His train of thought was derailed by Sona throwing her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Heat rose to his face, his heart racing, and it took several tries to get even one word out of his mouth. "Sem… pai…?"

"I'm sorry I made you wait so long," she whispered. "I've wanted to do this for months."

"You like me…" he said in a very soft voice, as if prepared to cringe away from the answer.

She pulled back, enough so that she could look him in the eyes. "Yes. Very much… Issei-kun." Her smile was gentle and affectionate, and worlds better than the way he'd fantasized she'd one day look at him.

Issei cleared his throat, his face burning. He knew he was grinning like an idiot, and couldn't make himself stop. "I-I like you too, sempai! More than anyone else…"

"Sona," she said, raising a hand to his cheek. "When we're alone, you can call me Sona," she added just before her lips touched his.

Even if it was a closed-mouth, chaste kiss, it blew the fantasy out of the water.

There was even a faint, magical light about it…

No, dammit, that was a magical circle.

Sona saw it even before he did, and reluctantly broke the kiss. She was making a soft, irritated sound, something he'd never heard come out of her mouth before. "Yes?"

Saji and Ruruko stood in the middle of the magical circle. The latter had the good grace to look embarrassed and apologetic. Saji didn't even try not to smirk. "I'm sorry, kaichou, but we have a contractor we're having a lot of trouble dealing with."

"Were Tsubaki or Tsubasa not available to help?" Sona asked. Issei could hear the faint but definite testiness in her voice. That, more than anything else, drove the fact that _she likes me she likes me SHE LIKES ME!_ home.

"Tsubaki-sempai is tutoring the mayor's daughter," Ruruko said apologetically. "And Tsubasa-sempai said you gave her the night off for a family birthday…"

"That's right, I did," Sona said, closing her eyes briefly in frustration. When she opened them, she looked apologetically at Issei. "I'm sorry, Issei-kun. But I need to go."

Issei fought back the surge of disappointment. After all, even if she had to go this early, look at what had happened first! "I understand, Sona… sorry, sempai." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Saji glower at him. He felt zero sympathy. _Suck on_ that _, jerk._

"If we're able to finish early, I'll come back," Sona promised, starting to rise.

"You don't even need to worry about coming back early!" Issei eagerly blurted out. "You can come back, if you want. Anytime. Even if I'm out cold…"

Sona smiled at that. "I'll try for early, anyway." She finished standing, starting to turn towards her associates.

"Sempai, one last thing," Issei said hurriedly. As she turned back to look at him again, he mumbled, face flushed again, "I'm not dreaming, right?"

Sona smiled brightly at him. "I'm not a fool… Issei-kun." She caressed his face affectionately for a moment. Then, with great reluctance, she joined Saji and Ruruko in the magic circle and disappeared.

* * *

The woman who claimed to be Amano Yuuma was jolted awake by her phone's IM ringtone. She sat up, rubbing at her eyes, and grabbed for the phone.

What she saw made her snarl.

It was a LINE message from Hyoudou, phrased way more politely than his (admittedly scanty) file would have predicted: _Sorry to message this late. But I confessed to her tonight, and she feels the same. I'm sorry, I didn't want to leave you hanging._

Somehow, the fact that Hyoudou Issei was trying to be a decent human being really pissed Raynare off. What she _wanted_ to do was storm into his bedroom right now, snap his neck like a twig, and take whatever Sacred Gear he had sitting in his belly. But Amano Yuuma was a lovesick girl who would probably spend the entire night crying about her rejection. So she just plugged the phone back in.

 _Well, he can have his night to enjoy the little bimbo,_ she told herself. _Tomorrow I'll track him down again and rip that Sacred Gear right out of him._

* * *

"I _told_ you not to call me unless it was an _emergency_ , Saji-kun," Sona said icily. "This was _not_ an emergency." She gestured sharply to the delivery van. Ruruko was only now slamming the hood shut, finally having managed to cobble the engine into something resembling driveable shape.

Sona could have been enjoying a pleasant night with her new fiance, indulging some of the milder fantasies she'd been collecting for the last calendar year. Right now, she groused, she _should be_ in Issei's arms. Instead, she had spent the last three hours helping play pack mule and mechanic for a contractor. This was something Saji should have been able to do without much trouble, especially with Ruruko's help.

"Sorry, kaichou," Saji said as he closed up the now-empty van. He didn't look or sound particularly sorry to Sona. In fact, he looked like was trying (and failing) not to look pleased about screwing up his "rival's" night with her. The expression on Ruruko's face told her that she wasn't the only one picking up on it.

"This will _not_ happen again, Saji-kun," she said, her tone laced with iron. "Not after tonight. _Especially_ not on a Thursday."

Saji's face twisted into a pout, but he nodded curtly. Sona internally rubbed the bridge of her nose. This _had_ to come to a stop, especially now that Issei-kun - and she still felt a touch giddy, at finally being able to call him that - had won a match.

"Kaichou, you can take off, if you like," Ruruko offered. "We can wrap this up. _Can't we_ , sempai?" Saji was still pouting, so he didn't seem to register the brunette's tone, but he nodded in reluctant agreement with her words.

Sona sighed, and gave her other Pawn a slight smile. "Thank you, Ruruko. I believe I'll take you up on that." She walked away from her Pawns, checking her phone as she did. The display read 0135, and she grimaced. _Probably way too late to go back to Issei-kun…_

 _You can come back, if you want. Anytime. Even if I'm out cold..._

The urge to go back, to just climb into bed with him, was strong.

She didn't think he'd mind. She knew _she_ wouldn't.

She sighed. The responsible thing was to let him get some sleep. And let herself get some sleep. She couldn't just do whatever she wanted. There were responsibilities, and duties. To her family, to her peerage, and now to him too.

 _But… maybe this once. It's not purely selfish if it's for my fiance, too._ Smirking at herself for the blatant rationalization, she summoned a magical circle and stepped through.

xxxx

Some minutes later, she stepped through another one, this time into Issei's bedroom. She was both chagrined and relieved to see Issei still up, apparently plugging away at some code. The light of the circle drew his attention away from the screen, and he gave her a sheepish smile. "Hi, sem - Sona-chan."

Sona shook her head, trying not to smile. "Issei-kun, you didn't have to wait up for me…" The fact that he had, though, warmed her enough that the three hours outside already seemed a distant memory.

"I wanted to," he said. His smile was bright, if drowsy, and it made her smile too. "Besides, I'd already decided I'd go to bed at three if you hadn't gotten here before then."

"Three A.M.?" Sona shook her head, trying to look and sound stern. Somehow, she suspected it wasn't working. "I expect my boyfriend to be more prudent about getting rest. But… under the circumstances, I'll let it slide. Just this once. Come on..." She took his hands and gently pulled him out of the computer chair.

As he stood, he leaned heavily against her, his arms slipping around her shoulders and embracing her tightly. Her eyes widened in surprise, then half-closed in satisfaction, and she nestled against him.

"You're so cute in your nightgown," he mumbled tiredly, kissing her forehead.

"Thank you," she said, resting her head against his chest. Going home first and putting on a nightgown had seemed prudent, since she planned on staying with him until he fell asleep. She told him as much, and he seemed to perk up slightly.

The thought of outright staying the night, and the direction that things might go, brought a pleasant heat to her face. But she knew that would come soon enough.

"What do you want to do while I'm here?" She asked.

"Stay up with you as long as I can," he answered drowsily.

"Of course," she assured him. She remembered what he'd said on _that_ night. The night she knew for sure that she wanted him for her future husband. _Well, well… I guess you may not be the only one who feels most at ease when we're together, Issei-kun…_

"Thank you, Sona," Issei said softly, kissing her forehead again. This was something that was surprising her, how eager he seemed to be for simple physical affection. That, however, was something she didn't mind at all... "You mind if I put something on? Just something simple and lighthearted…"

"That's fine," Sona told him, watching him fondly as he popped in a DVD and set his computer to fullscreen. As they sat on his bed together and the movie started, she gently pulled the covers up around both of them. His head leaned against hers, his eyes starting to droop, and she reached for his hand. After a moment, he interlaced his fingers with hers.

"Stay some night?" He murmured, sounding like sleep wasn't far away.

"Yes," she promised. His scent soothed her, feeling like home, or at least what would eventually become home.

She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring that thought.

* * *

Notes:

Well, here we go!

First things first: I can count the number of chess games I've played on one hand, they were all in high school (read: years and years ago), and I won exactly none of them. Thusly, the vagueness of the game in the relevant scene. Apologies to readers who actually _know_ chess...

The note this chapter ends on is something I've debated for a while. On the one hand, Sona's smart and rational, which would seem to head Rias's little "naming convention" conniption off at the pass. On the other hand, I can also see her getting fixed into thinking that everything will follow "the plan," and forgetting that Issei never got a copy of the script, or thinking she can keep all the plates spinning until she fills him in. I kept going back and forth on it, but at the end of the day, I decided I want to kick things off on a happy note. This is, after all, intended to be a fairly lighthearted story, not like the _other_ "Issei joins the Student Council" fic idea I have. It would be a bit boring if their path to love didn't have _some_ obstacles, naturally, but you'll see those soon enough! (If you want to see the original, internally-angsty scenes, PM me and I'll send them your way.)

After a lot of thought, I've finally come down in favor of there being a harem in this story. It will be A) Student Council-centric; B) relatively small; and C) involve no one from the ORC. If you want to know who the girls will be, there are hints (some subtle, most not) seeded throughout this chapter and _Final Patch_. There'll be a list in the author's notes for Chapter 2.

This chapter takes its title from Sting's "Seven Days." One note I forgot to add to _Final Patch_ that is semi-relevant here: Issei's musical tastes here aren't (purely) based on mine. They're inspired by Chapter 2 of ImaginaryGuy 117's _The Geek and the Gamer_ , which devoted an impressive amount of word count to Issei listening to MGMT's "Kids," looking up the song's meaning, and deciding what it meant to him. Considering how often MGMT and Phoenix pop up in the same Pandora station for me, it seemed a logical extrapolation to me.

For those who want a rough timeframe, by this point I see about nine months having elapsed since the first chapter of _Digital x Dragon_. My logic chain is as follows: most of the original fic takes place over 1-2 months, except for a 3-month timeskip in the last chapter. Two months elapsed between the last chapter and _Final Patch_ (my bad for not making that clear in _Final Patch_ ), and (as explicitly stated in this chapter) two more months have elapsed between _Final Patch_ and this chapter. (And all that to just reach the "canon" starting point.)

Finally, I'm gonna be indulging in a small conceit at the end of each chapter: a quote of significance from the next one, to serve as a mini-teaser. I think the one for this installment will set the tone nicely… well, I hope so, anyway. ;)

-xxxx-

Next Time: Chapter 2: I Can Hear Your Laughter, I Can See Your Smile

" _Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Husband."_


	3. Chapter 2: I Can Hear Your Laughter

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. If I owned it, the Boosted Gear probably would have resembled a Caster Gun.

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Fluff/silliness warning. Author's musical tastes warning.

* * *

Chapter 2: I Can Hear Your Laughter, I Can See Your Smile

* * *

Sona would never been able to convince anyone that she hadn't actually _meant_ to stay all night with Issei. Even Issei himself seemed to just be humoring her about it. By the time she was pregnant with their first child, even _she_ was half-convinced that she had been acting subconsciously to spend their first night as a couple together.

At any rate, the minute she heard his alarm go off, she realized what had happened. Sunlight filtered in through the blinds, and the computer monitor still showed _K-On!_ 's starting menu.

Issei was still leaning against her, his face relaxed and almost innocent-looking in slumber. It was enough to make Sona want to just snuggle under the covers with him for the entire day.

She contented herself with a single chaste kiss to Issei's mouth as he stirred, and an affectionate smile as his eyes opened. "Morning."

Issei's eyes went wide, but he quickly relaxed, returning her smile sheepishly. "Morning, sem… Sona-chan."

"Good, you remembered," she teased gently, then stretched. "Mmph. I apologize. I meant to head home as soon as you were out…"

"No! No, no, it's okay!" Issei was waving his hands frantically. "It's like I told you last night, you can come over anytime you like. Even stay the night, anytime you like - " He was now starting to repeat himself and trip over his words. Sona found it both endearing and exasperating.

Issei did seem to catch the latter part, and forced himself to speak slower. "I mean it. I want you to stay, every night. And not just for ecchi stuff. Though I do want to do ecchi stuff with you, too, Sona-chan, and - "

Sona touched a fingertip to his lips before he could ramp back up. "I know, Issei-kun. The feeling is mutual." She smiled. "Calm down. We've only just begun, after all."

He slumped in relief, and reached for her hand, kissing it. "Okay. Good."

The urge to nestle back in his arms, and pull the covers over both of them for the remainder of the month, was strong. But Sona pushed herself to her feet instead. "I had better get home. I trust I'll see you at lunchtime?"

"You bet!" Issei said, nodding eagerly.

"I'll see you then," she said, kissing him on the forehead and summoning a magical circle. She stepped through it before she could look back at him; she was already too tempted to stay.

* * *

"You're in a good mood this morning, Hyoudou," Kiryuu remarked idly.

"I guess I am," Issei said lightly. "Got a lot of work done on a project last night, and had a good dream." He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head.

"Good for you," she drawled, adjusting her glasses idly. "Heh. Seems like it was a _really_ good dream for you."

"So glad you approve," Issei said dryly, eying her warily. Truth be told, there wasn't a thing wrong with Kiryuu Aika's looks - she rocked the geeky-cute look too, if in a different way than Sona. But she sure creeped him out sometimes. By watching her, he was starting to grasp how he, Matsuda, and Motohama put off the other girls.

"Ise! Man, have we got something for _you_!" Speak of the devil - _no, I guess that's an insult to devils,_ Issei thought with a slight smile.

Matsuda set a DVD on Issei's desk, featuring a bleached-blonde girl with massive breasts and an outfit consisting of dental floss and fabric swatches. "Feast your eyes."

Issei glanced at it, and pushed it back towards Matsuda. "Thanks. I'm good, though." He looked out the window for a moment before turning back, and was startled to see his friends and Kiryuu staring blankly at him. Even Katase and Murayama, across the classroom, were looking over curiously. "...what?"

"Ise. What the hell, man?" Matsuda was watching him like he'd turned into a zombie.

"Ise, turning down porn?" Motohama said, scooting away from Issei's desk, slowly and carefully. "Who are you and what have you done with our friend?"

None of them noticed Reya tapping quietly on her phone's screen.

-xxxx-

Tsubasa looked at her phone and laughed. "Guess the Perverted Duo can't wrap their heads around Hyoudou-kun turning down free porn."

"Poor babies," Tsubaki commented, a rare note of outright sarcasm in her voice.

-xxxx-

"It must be those harpies from the Student Council," Matsuda said suddenly. (Reya, one of those "harpies," just rolled her eyes.) "They've emasculated him."

"Hey, leave them alone," Issei said suddenly. "You don't know a damned thing - " The minute he'd said that, he felt like kicking himself.

His friends smirked at each other, wearing knowing glances. "Ohhh. I get it," Motohama said, shaking his head patronizingly. "You've been trying to clean up your act for one of them, haven't you? Which one?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Issei muttered, face suddenly flushed.

"Is it Kusaka over here?" Matsuda said thoughtfully, and looked over to Reya. "Kusaka, does our friend here have a thing for you?"

"Not that I'm aware of," Reya said, her expression bemused. She then added in a sharper tone, "If he did, though, he'd have a much better shot than either of you…"

The two boys scoffed at that, and turned back to Issei. "Really, is that the reason you're hanging out so much with the Council?" Motohama said, giving him a pitying look. "You know none of them will ever give you the time of day…"

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Reya said in exasperation.

"Ever considered it might look good for college applications?" Issei shot back, now visibly irritated by the verbal barb. "Maybe I wanna go to Tokodai…"

"Nah," the two of them chorused. Predictably, they acted just as if they hadn't heard Reya. "We know you're all about the boobs," Motohama added. "Makes me wonder why you're not drooling after Rias-sama or Akeno-sama, though."

"They're not my type!" Issei snapped, and his cheeks flared red as he realized what he'd just said. Once again he could have kicked himself for saying something so… so… not himself.

Well. It would have been in-character a year ago. Some things had changed.

Motohama and Matsuda were actually cowering away from him now, convinced he was a pod person or something. Kiryuu's expression was nearly as disbelieving, and it was clear some kind of mental reassessment was going on behind those golden eyes. Even the two kendoka were eying him strangely. Murayama's expression seemed to have that same thoughtful reassessment that Kiryuu did, but Katase actually seemed _scared_ , as if the statement had meant that _she_ was his new target.

"Not… not… not your type?" Matsuda parroted slowly. "But that's…"

"This conversation is over," Issei said snippily, pulling out his phone.

Again, no one noticed Reya typing on her own phone.

-xxxx-

Tsubasa read the text, re-read it, and whistled. "Well, _that_ ought to mess with some people's heads. Hyoudou-kun just publicly admitted that Rias-sempai and Akeno-sempai 'aren't his type.'"

Sona smiled at her desk.

-xxxx-

The minute lunch began, Issei was out of his chair and gone. Matsuda and Motohama waited what they imagined to be long enough for him to not notice being followed. (It was only fifteen seconds.)

As the Perverted Trio (or, as it was increasingly starting to look, the Perverted Duo and the guy trying to fix himself) vacated the classroom, Kiryuu waved Murayama over.

Murayama raised her eyebrows, but joined the meganekko. "Kiryuu-san… what's up?"

"You're curious too, aren't you?" Kiryuu said with a sly smile. "About Hyoudou?"

"Not really," Murayama said, suddenly finding the window extremely fascinating. "I'm just glad he's getting his act together, is all. Now, if only his friends would, too."

"That'd be nice. But you don't fool me," Kiryuu replied breezily. "No one else seems to have noticed, or is willing to admit it. Look at those two idiots, for example. But for a while now, Hyoudou has been 'getting his act together,' like you said. And it's kinda funny how that coincides with him starting to spend time with the Student Council, don'cha think?"

"Seems pretty open-and-shut, then," Murayama said tiredly. She wasn't sure why Kiryuu was insisting on discussing Hyoudou. Or why she, herself, wasn't just getting up and walking away.

Maybe it was the fact that she, too, had been quietly noticing Hyoudou changing. Or, at least getting himself under control. She'd thought he was cute back in middle school, after all.

Not that there was any way to admit that to anyone else, right now.

Well, Kiryuu might have some idea, from that expression on her face.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," Kiryuu said speculatively. "But I _would_ like to know for sure. Wouldn't you?"

"Motohama's probably right," Murayama replied, looking out the window again. "He's probably in love with one of the girls on the Council." That stung slightly, for reasons she didn't feel like prodding at.

"And if he's not?"

Murayama blinked, and refocused her eyes on Kiryuu. That resonated with her… and once again, it was for reasons she really didn't want to think about.

"Why are _you_ so curious?" she asked pointedly. "Are _you_ interested in him, too?" She inwardly flinched as she realized what the "too" could be taken to mean, and that sudden smirk on Kiryuu's face told her it had been taken that way.

"Who knows?" Kiryuu said blithely, and Murayama made a moue at the vague answer. "At any rate, it's an interesting mystery, and I'm curious… and bored, but mostly curious."

"...you want me to tag along while you're following Hyoudou," Murayama said slowly.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"...well, I don't think I have practice this afternoon… I can't believe I'm even thinking about this," Murayama said ruefully, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Admit it, Murayama-chan, you like a good mystery too," Kiryuu said in a good-naturedly teasing tone.

* * *

It was a different sensation, walking into the Student Council room today.

Issei had been hanging out with them long enough to be considered "one of them," however unofficially. (Saji didn't count.) But today…

Today, it was almost like he had _officially_ become part of "the family."

Yura gave him a big smile as he entered. Issei had always thought she was cute, but when she smiled like that - _No, no, don't even_ think _about that now,_ he chided himself. _You have Sona now, after all._ "So, you gonna be one of us officially now, Hyoudou-kun?" she asked brightly.

"I guess we'll see," he replied with a nervous laugh. "That might make the kaichou look bad, you know..."

"Let me be the judge of that, Issei-kun," Sona said from the desk. The slight smile playing across her lips, Issei knew by now, was the equivalent of anyone else jumping up and down for joy. He knew the feeling himself; after a morning of idiocy from his classmates, the sight of her was like an oasis in the desert.

Sona waved him over to her desk. As he reached it, she stood, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently. The simple physical affection went through Issei like a bullet, and his cheeks flushed. "Sempai," he murmured, deathly certain he was smiling like a moron.

"What did I tell you, Issei-kun?" Sona said, in a mock-stern tone. Was she being _playful_?

"We're not alone right now, sempai," he reminded her, all too aware of the eyes on them. Even if none of the people watching them were hostile, this was still uncharted territory for him. "Um… Sona… san?"

She nodded, looking satisfied with the compromise.

-xxxx-

Lunch break passed pleasantly, with quiet conversation. Sona had proven reluctant to release Issei's hand, and he had no problem whatsoever with that. Even the way it made actually _eating_ lunch awkward seemed unimportant.

Sona polished off her sandwich, patting her mouth delicately with a napkin, and gave Issei a speculative look. "Do you have anything going on tonight, Issei-kun?"

"No, not at all! If you want to do something, Sona-san, I'm all yours!" he blurted out in a rush, his cheeks reddening as the words tumbled out.

"Good," she said with a soft smile. "I'd like to take you to dinner tonight. At Silver Moon."

"You - what - sure, but… okay…" Eloquence, at least outside of coding, had never been Issei's forte, and he was feeling that deficiency very strongly right now. And Silver Moon? It might not be the most expensive place in Kuoh, but it was definitely nice… did he have anything nice enough to wear for that?

"I want to talk over some things with you, about the two of us." She held out a hand, slowing Issei from responding. He was silently grateful. "Rest assured, it's nothing bad."

"Well, sure, then…" Issei said. _A nice dinner out with my girlfriend? Sign me up!_ "Were you actually serious about me joining the Student Council, though?"

"Academically, it would be justifiable," Sona replied. "The same with all the work you've done helping us go electronic. Honestly, from my standpoint, the only real issue is coming up with a suitable-sounding title."

"'IT Guy' really doesn't sound that good, huh?" Reya piped up from the couch.

"Oh, that reminds me, Kusaka," Issei said, turning towards his classmate. "Thanks for what you said during class. It was really nice of you."

"You're welcome," Reya replied. "It wasn't even an exaggeration. You've done a lot to get your act together, unlike those morons."

"Hah, thanks…" Issei rubbed the back of his head.

"I bet Rias-sempai and Akeno-sempai will be crushed to hear that they're 'not your type,' though," Tsubasa said with a lazy grin.

Issei whipped around to stare at her. "How did you - " He cut his eyes to Reya, who just smiled herself, and groaned. "I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?"

"There's at least one person who is quite glad that they're 'not your type,'" Sona interjected with a smirk. She interlaced her fingers with Issei's.

"Well, as long as she's happy," Issei mumbled, his cheeks feeling warm.

Ruruko entered, looking perplexed. "Does anyone know why Matsuda-sempai and Motohama-sempai are standing outside, trying to look inconspicuous?"

"Idiots," Issei grumbled. "I should have made sure I wasn't being followed."

"Not much you can do about it," Tsubasa said philosophically. "Just imagine how they'll react when they find out about you and kaichou."

Issei and Sona exchanged glances.

"I can keep quiet about it for awhile," Issei said, suddenly finding the wall fascinating. "I don't want to make things awkward."

Sona cleared her throat, her own cheeks slightly red. "No. That would hardly be fair. If you want to tell them after this weekend, that's fine. I just want us to have dinner and discuss stuff first."

"They're probably already starting rumors about Hyoudou-kun blackmailing all of us into sexual servitude," Tsubaki commented. (At that, Issei facepalmed and muttered to himself.) "Do you want us to start damage control?"

"Please do," Sona told her. "Make it clear that he's being brought into the Council as well, in recognition for his assistance to use since the school year began. Maybe that will quiet a few people."

"Maybe," Tsubaki said in a doubtful voice.

-xxxx-

"Did you see that?" Matsuda hissed.

"Only for a second, but yeah," Motohama agreed. "Ise's sitting there, talking with the Student Council president. Eating lunch with her, too! That can only mean one thing…"

"He's trying to get in good with her so we can peep on the girls' showers again?" Matsuda speculated excitedly.

"Oh, that's a possibility too," Motohama agreed. "I was betting that he has something on them, and he's blackmailing them into orgies everyday..."

There were, after all, no other logical explanations. It wasn't like he could actually _like_ a cold fish like the president, and even if he did, there was no way she'd actually like _him_.

* * *

Immediately after lunch, the Student Council issued two notices to Kuoh's student body. The first was about the appointment of Hyoudou Issei to the Council as technical advisor, due to his services in helping the Council digitize its paperwork. The second was a warning about an uptick in malicious and salacious rumors, and the importance in not giving them with any credence.

This hit the general student consciousness slightly ahead of Matsuda and Motohama's predicted rumor (which definitely ticked the "malicious" and "salacious" boxes). That was enough to cushion said rumor's effect somewhat, although there were still many willing to take it at face value, even considering the source.

"I hate you assholes," Issei grumbled. Unsurprisingly, most of the girls were giving him dirty looks. Kusaka wasn't, of course. Much to his surprise, Kiryuu and Murayama didn't seem to be buying into it, either. (Katase seemed to be, though; her looks were the dirtiest of all.)

Unaccountably, Matsuda and Motohama seemed genuinely surprised that he was upset. "Why?" Matsuda said, actually sounding stung. "Ise, we're doing you a favor…"

"Yeah," Motohama agreed with complete sincerity. "We're saving you from heartbreak, man. Your chances with any of those girls aren't any better than ours." (Kusaka shot them both disgusted looks of her own, which the two boys either ignored or completely missed. Kiryuu and Murayama noticed, though.)

Issei had no response to that. An exasperated expression on his face, he just flipped open his notebook, pointedly ignoring his friends. _Just focus on getting through the day,_ he told himself. _Just focus on seeing Sona-chan at dinner_.

"Hey, what're you smiling about?"

"None of your business," Issei replied distractedly, not noticing the slight smile on Kusaka's face, or the inquisitive looks on Murayama and Kiryuu's faces.

* * *

Issei was through the school gate the moment classes were over. This left Matsuda and Motohama completely confused as to why they'd been "abandoned." While they railed against their absent friend's "ingratitude," Kusaka rolled her eyes. She was in the middle of packing her things when her phone buzzed. She fished it out, looking at the screen, and what she saw made her eyebrows shoot up. She threw the rest of her things together haphazardly and virtually flew out of the classroom.

"Suspicious, wouldn't you say?" Kiryuu observed, giving Murayama a knowing smirk.

"We don't know that that's related to Hyoudou," Murayama muttered.

"I have a feeling it is," Kiryuu said with a shake of her head. She rose, her school bag already packed. "Let's find out!"

"And _this_ is how people get picked up on stalking charges," Murayama said resignedly. She still followed Kiryuu.

-xxxx-

Issei didn't have much in the way of dressy clothes. What he _did_ have was a pair of khakis he rarely wore, and a blue Oxford shirt he'd gotten as a birthday gift. "I guess these'll have to do," he muttered to himself. Tossing on a light jacket, he headed downstairs, pausing at the kitchen. "Kaa-san, I'm gonna have dinner with a friend! I'll be back later!"

"Have fun, Issei! Be careful!" he heard her yell back.

* * *

"This isn't good," Rias said tersely. Sona had to agree, unnecessary as the statement was.

There was an abandoned church on the outskirts of Kuoh Town. Predictably, even being in proximity to the property would make a Devil start itching something fierce. Consequently, since Kuoh was known to be Devil territory, it was not unknown for those from other factions - specifically hostile ones, even if matters were currently at an unspoken detente - to use the church as a base of operations.

And so it appeared to be again. The signs of it being occupied again were clear, if you knew what to look for.

"It's probably Grigori," Rias posited. "Heaven's not that subtle about things. They might even let us know directly about sending representatives here."

"I agree," Sona said distractedly. Rias was probably right. There was something about that fact that bothered her, though…

"Buchou." Both Kings looked up as Akeno approached. The Devil/Fallen Angel hybrid wore a sour look. Sona didn't hear the first words she said, though. Instead, she was remembering what Issei had said the other night.

" _She could be Himejima-sempai's younger sister."_

Sona's eyes widened slightly, and then narrowed. Rias caught the shift in her facial features, and turned to look at her friend. "Sona?"

Sona wasn't looking at Rias. Instead, she was turning towards her peerage, and called out in a clipped tone, "Reya!"

The Bishop looked up and walked over, looking perplexed by her King's tone. "Kaichou?"

"I have a new assignment for you," Sona told her tersely. She was probably being paranoid. Probably. But it was her prerogative to be paranoid… and if she wasn't wrong… "You have Issei-kun's number, right?"

"Yes. Well, his LINE contact info, anyway." Reya blinked at the apparent non sequitur. "Kaichou, what's going on?"

"I don't know. Probably nothing. But I want you to catch up with him. Tell him I'll be delayed, keep him company until I'm able to meet him." Sona's tone was still level, but it was also tense.

Reya's eyebrows knit, but she seemed pleased enough with the retasking. "Sure, Sona-sama. I'll keep him company."

"Don't have too much fun, Reya." Sona's tone was now slightly acerbic, something that made Reya and Rias's eyebrows both shoot up. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then said more calmly, "My apologies. Thank you, Reya."

"Yes, kaichou." The brunette Bishop eyed her King carefully, but she nodded and sprinted away.

"Sona?" Rias repeated, now sounding both confused and concerned.

The Sitri heiress turned back towards her friend. Something about the way Reya responded touched Sona's nerves. At another time, she might have thought amusedly about how quick Reya was to spend time with Issei. Right now, though, her "bad feeling" radar was pinging like crazy. But she was worrying for nothing, right? "Issei-kun encountered someone he said greatly resembled Akeno-san last night. That, combined with what we're learning here… this worries me, Rias."

"Understandable," Rias said in a calming tone. Then she realized something herself, and her concern wasn't sufficient to keep her from saying mischievously, "'Issei-kun?'"

Sona gave her an old-fashioned look, but relented after a moment. "...he won at chess last night. We're dating now." The memory of kissing Issei good morning flashed through her mind, and she just _knew_ her face had pinked slightly. Rias's look of good-natured amusement confirmed it.

"Sona, that's wonderful," the ORC president told her sincerely. "I'm glad. How much about the rest of it does he know?"

"I'm supposed to meet him for dinner and tell him the rest," Sona said, hints of frustration entering her voice again. "And then _this_ happened."

"You're just being prudent," Rias tried to reassure her. "It's a good idea to send Tsubasa anyway, but we'll be done here soon. They're probably just here to poke their nose into our business."

Sona nodded, looking unconvinced. Rias was probably right. There really _wasn't_ any benefit to anyone to do anything stupid. Or anything violent.

She was having a hard time persuading herself of that, though.

-xxxx-

"Okay, so they're standing outside that church just looking around," Murayama said dubiously. "This is really weird. I didn't even know that the Council and the ORC _knew_ each other."

"They _do_ seem pretty familiar with each other, don't they?" Kiryuu commented. "Look at Kiba-kun and Shinra-san. They seem pretty cozy, too."

"I'm sure you're reading too much into that," the kendoka said dryly.

Kiryuu started to respond, but paused. "Wait, look. The kaichou looks worried. Wonder what _that's_ about."

The two students watched as Kusaka and the Student Council president spoke briefly but intently. Kiryuu adjusted her glasses, an odd glint coming from them for a moment. "Hmm. They're taking this awfully seriously. Honestly, watch them. They're acting more like a team of detectives in some police drama than a student council."

"Yeah…" Murayama sounded reluctantly interested. It was almost like getting genuinely sucked into the plot of a bad movie.

Kusaka and the president finished talking, and the former took off like a shot. In the opposite direction of everyone else.

"I know one thing for sure." Murayama's voice was, again, reluctantly fascinated. "Hyoudou isn't here."

"You think she's headed wherever _he_ is," Kiryuu finished her thought.

"Yeah," Murayama agreed. She shifted the carry bag that held her shinai and kendo gear. "Think you can keep up, Kiryuu-san?"

"Yes, I can," Kiryuu said with a smirk.

* * *

The agreement had been to meet that evening in the park at six.

It was only 5:45, but Issei was pacing back and forth in front of the fountain, checking his phone every other minute. He knew he was being nervous and silly. That did absolutely nothing to relax him.

 _Dammit. This jacket is way too casual. I should have asked to borrow one of tou-san's_ _ties and blazers. I should have asked to borrow the credit card so I could pay for dinner. I -_

The phone in his hand vibrated, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He glanced at the screen, and was both relieved and disappointed to see a LINE message from Kusaka waiting. He thumbed the notification, and stared in bemusement at the message text: _Are you still at the fountain?_

He quickly tapped out: _Yeah. What's up? Sona-san is still coming, right?_ The thought that she might not be hadn't even occurred to him until now, and it was like ice water shot through his veins.

His phone buzzed again. The message read: _Yes! She's just delayed on non-school business and wanted me to hang out with you until she's done._

 _That_ was a relief, although Issei wondered why Sona had to go to the trouble of sending Kusaka and having _her_ message him. It was pretty nice of Kusaka, though; it occurred to him that he should probably at least buy her a drink for her trouble. He tapped out his answer: _Thanks, that's kind of you. I'll be at the fountain._

Thirty seconds after Issei tapped SEND, Kusaka rounded the corner and came into view. She looked winded, as if she'd been running and messaging at the same time. "You okay, Kusaka?" he called out, walking towards her. "You look like you ran here all the way from school." (The thought that panting and flushed was a good look on her flashed through his mind, but he shoved it away in a hurry. _Sona-chan is amazing. Don't be an asshole._ )

"Even further," she said, gasping for breath. "The old church?"

Issei stared at her, incredulously. "That far? What the hell were you doing out there?"

"Non-school business," Kusaka answered, finally managing to catch her breath. "It's a supernatural territory thing, kind of."

"Okay," Issei said, shaking his head. He didn't pretend to get what little he'd been told about supernatural politics, but it didn't surprise him that pissing contests over territory was a thing. He smiled crookedly at Kusaka. "Well… thank you. Why don't I get you a drink, since you ran all that way?"

"I will take you up on that," she answered, her smile equally crooked. The two of them meandered out of the park, towards the nearest convenience store, and walked in companionable silence for a few minutes. "...you look nice, by the way," she added offhandedly.

"Thank you," Issei said. His cheeks heated for a moment, and he wasn't sure why. _I don't think anyone besides kaa-san has ever said something like that,_ he mused. _That's probably it._ "Maybe you can answer a question for me, while you're keeping me company," he added, holding the door for her as they entered the store.

"Sure, although we should probably hold off until we're out of the store again," Kusaka advised. He nodded, feeling slightly chagrined at not having thought of that. The two of them lapsed back into silence, selecting and paying for their drinks, and the silence obtained until they were walking back across the street.

"Go ahead, then," Kusaka encouraged, smiling at him. Issei cleared his throat, then asked, "Are Devils native to Japan or something? It seems like all the Devils in your peerage have Japanese names, look Japanese…" He abruptly laughed a self-deprecating laugh. "It's a dumb question, I know."

"Not all that dumb," she replied, smirking good-naturedly. "Kaichou aside, all of us _are_ native Japanese. You see, we're reincarnated Devils." She held up a hand, pausing to open her can of iced mocha. "I know what you're going to ask."

"I suppose it's an obvious question," Issei said with a shrug. He opened his Coke and took a long pull on the bottle.

"There's a system for magically reincarnating humans, and pretty much any other sentient species, as new Devils," Kusaka told him. "It can be done whether you're dying or perfectly healthy. All it requires is willingness." She briefly covered her mouth as a thought occurred to her. "Heh. I probably shouldn't be telling you this. But, considering..."

"Thanks, Kusaka. I think I understand," Issei assured her, looking thoughtful. "Hmm…" He'd been wondering what Sona could want to discuss with him, romantic dinner aside. Now, he had an idea. "Why become a Devil, though?" His cheeks heated as he realized how personal a question that might be. "Ah, if it's a sensitive topic for you, you don't have to - "

"No, no, it's fine." Kusaka smiled brightly. "There are a number of advantages, actually. Learning to use magic, for example. It comes easier than it does as a normal human. Also, Devils are stronger and more resilient than normal humans, and live a lot longer. Centuries. Even millennia, if Serafall-sama is telling the truth."

"Serafall-sama?" Issei asked curiously. Put that way, being a Devil sounded like a pretty good deal. Of course, there were probably things Kusaka had forgotten to mention. He didn't expect lies of omission from her, though.

"Sona-kaichou's sister," Kusaka explained. "She's a senior official in the Devil government. She's also… eccentric. You'll see when you meet her."

"...I'll keep that in mind." Issei felt a chill creeping down his spine at that statement.

* * *

Serafall sneezed, then looked around her office curiously. "Is someone talking about me? Ahh, it must be So-tan…"

* * *

"Cleans up pretty well, doesn't he?" Kiryuu commented, as she and Murayama watched from behind a nearby tree.

"Yeah. I wouldn't have thought it," Murayama agreed reluctantly. "Wonder what they're talking about?"

"Have to get closer to hear," Kiryuu pointed out. "They do seem pretty friendly, though." Her smile turned speculative, even admiring, a fact not lost on the kendoka.

"I didn't know you liked girls, too," Murayama said, her tone surprised but not disapproving.

Kiryuu shrugged. "I've never been choosy when it comes to that. And Kusaka's beautiful, too. They might make a cute couple. Maybe she _was_ just bullshitting Matsuda and Motohama. Hard to blame her, what with their stupid crabs-in-a-bucket routine."

"That whole 'I can't get a girl, so I won't let you either' thing of theirs?" Murayama said, her lips curling in disgust. She felt oddly irritated by how readily the other students had bought into the rumors those two idiots had spread. Even Yui.

"Exactly," Kiryuu agreed. "I'm surprised you're familiar with it, Murayama-chan."

"That attitude's not exactly limited to loser horndogs," the kendoka answered in a dry tone. "Almost seems to feed back into what you said about people refusing to believe he's trying to change. Like they're somehow invested in him staying stuck there…"

"I hadn't thought _that_ far about it, but you're right," Kiryuu remarked, then raised her eyebrows. "Hmm. Wonder who _this_ is?"

"She looks kind of like Himejima-sempai, doesn't she?" Murayama remarked. "Whoa, he doesn't look happy to see her…"

* * *

"Issei-kun? Is this your girlfriend?"

"Amano-san!" Issei goggled at her in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Hyoudou-kun?" Kusaka looked at the other girl, and her expression was every bit as surprised as Issei's. "Who's this?"

"This is Amano-san. We met the other night," Issei explained hurriedly.

"Is this the girl, Issei-kun?" Amano said insistently.

Kusaka abruptly grabbed Issei's arm in a proprietary gesture. "What do you want, Amano-san? We're busy here," she said in a sharp tone. It was a pretty convincing portrayal of a possessive girlfriend.

Issei shifted his body around slightly. He was well aware that Kusaka was probably stronger than he was, but it was still an instinctive response to stand between a girl and… harm? Was Amano-san really a threat? He didn't think so, but… "What can I do for you, Amano-san?"

"I'd like to talk to Issei-kun for a moment," Amano said, looking somewhat put out. "Alone, please."

"I don't think so," Kusaka said, and the way her arm tightened around his was actually painful. "Hyoudou-kun, don't we have a dinner reservation?"

Issei looked back and forth between them, and sighed. "I'm sorry, Kusaka. Can I have a moment?"

Kusaka leaned close to his ear. "Hyoudou-kun, she's not a normal human," she warned him, sound concerned. "I don't know what she wants from you."

"Then, can you keep an eye on me?" he whispered back. "Do some kinda magic trick, listen from a distance and then zap her with lightning if she tries something?"

"Devil magic doesn't exactly work like that," she answered, looking nettled. " _Please_. I know it's rude, but brush her off. I think this might have been what kaichou was worried about."

"Seriously? Well…" Issei sighed, and turned back toward Amano. "I'm sorry, Amano-san, but this isn't a good time. Why don't you contact me over LINE, and we can discuss it then?" He let Kusaka start pulling him towards the sidewalk.

"It'll be quick, Issei-kun." Amano's voice had an odd note to it. "Just one question."

"What is it, then?" Issei said hurriedly. He saw a small magical circle forming around Kusaka's left hand.

"Would you die for me?" Amano Yuuma _changed_. Her school uniform melted away, replaced by what looked like a black bikini, matching thigh-high boots, and spiky black pauldrons. Her features changed as well, maturing and hardening. The resulting woman was still beautiful, but it was a cruel, spiteful beauty. (Also, the outfit was more than a little S&M-ish, and that was a definite turn-off for Issei.) Black wings sprouted from her back.

"Kuoh is Devil territory, and this man is under our protection!" Kusaka snapped, the magical circle flaring to full size and starting to rotate.

"Like I care," "Amano Yuuma" sneered. "Come on, 'Issei-kun.' Lay down and die like a good boy, and I'll leave your little Devil bitch alone." She held out her hands, glowing shafts of magenta light appearing in each of them.

Issei stared at her in shock and surprise. "I thought there was supposed to be a detente or something," he said numbly.

"It's never been made official," Kusaka said sharply. "Hyoudou-kun, stay behind me."

"But - " Intellectually, Issei knew Kusaka was much better equipped to deal with this… whatever Amano-san actually was. But the idea of leaving the brunt of it to a girl, especially a friend of his, rankled -

The winged woman snarled, and hurled the beams of light at Issei. He yelped and scrambled behind Kusaka's magical circle, watching in amazement as they dissipated against it. "Whoa," he whispered.

"Hyoudou-kun, please stay right where you are," Kusaka said tightly.

"Smart of you to hide behind your girlfriend's skirts, Issei-kun," "Amano" taunted. "But that won't save you from Raynare the Fallen Angel."

For a moment, exasperation overcame Issei's survival instinct, and he gave her a "really?" look. "'Raynare the Fallen Angel?' What, d'ya think you're in some second-rate tokosatsu or something?"

" _Hyoudou-kun_!" Kusaka hissed. That _might_ have been a twinkle of amusement beneath the anger, but Issei could have been mistaken.

Raynare's face clouded over. Clearly, she was unmoved by his comic genius. Anything she might have had to say to that, though, was lost as the sound of rustling bushes and a snapped branch echoed in the otherwise still evening air.

All three of them turned their eyes towards Murayama and Kiryuu, who had tripped over each other in an attempt to sneak out of the park.

"Murayama? Kiryuu?" Issei blurted out. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?!"

"You know them?" Raynare said curiously. "I'm not supposed to leave witnesses, but…" She gave Issei a cruel smirk. "I'll think about it, if you let me kill you."

"Kill us? What's she talking about…?" Murayama said, looking back and forth between Issei and Raynare.

"Dammit, my ankle," Kiryuu hissed, her voice laced with pain. "Stupid bush…" She looked at her classmate. "Murayama-chan, get out of here…"

"I'm not leaving you to die!" Murayama hissed.

"No. Both of you will, unless Issei-kun mans up and dies in your place," Raynare announced.

"You're not going to kill Hyoudou-kun!" Kusaka snapped. "What's this about, anyway?"

"Grigori collects loose Sacred Gears," Raynare said, smirking.

"Sacred Gears?" Issei repeated, confusedly. Although, hearing the phrase… it was as if there were some kind of memory triggered, albeit one dangling just out of reach.

"They're like… spiritual tools or weapons. Powerful ones," Kusaka explained hurriedly. "That's the short version. Humans are born with them inside their bodies, there's not really any choice in the matter. And - 'loose?' The bearer is still alive!" She shouted the last in a tone of protest.

Raynare shrugged. The offhand, indifferent gesture demonstrated just how high "sanctity of life" was on her list of priorities.

"Kusaka…" Issei began.

"Hyoudou-kun, don't you _dare_ \- "

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, springing out from behind Kusaka's shield. "Take care of Murayama and Kiryuu!"

Oh, he _knew_ this was a _bad_ idea. But -

 _I'm sorry, Sona,_ he apologized mentally. _I should have told you I've already fallen for you -_

"Okay, you black-winged bitch," he yelled. "You want this stupid thing, come and get it!" He started sprinting away from his classmates.

"Come back here!" Raynare shouted, taking to the air.

"Hyoudou-kun, you _moron_!" Kusaka shrilled, anger and worry mingled in her voice. "Dammit…" The last Issei saw of her as he rounded the fountain was her running towards Kiryuu and Murayama.

-xxxx-

Issei had known it was a bad idea from word one.

He hadn't banked on _how_ bad an idea it was.

The trees in the park didn't give him nearly as much cover as he'd hoped. They were too widely spaced apart by the walkways, and Raynare was flying low and on his heels. He didn't know how she was creating those glowing spears, but she seemed to have a million of them. He really didn't want to get hit by one; getting peppered by the debris from her misses was bad enough.

He pivoted at the next intersection, shaping his course back towards the fountain. Maybe he'd have more room to maneuver. Maybe Kusaka would have been able to get those two out of the park, and could help.

 _And maybe Sona will just appear out of the fucking ether,_ he snarled to himself.

Unnoticed by him, the phone in his pocket glowed briefly.

He managed to get back to the fountain seconds ahead of Raynare, and his heart was pounding so loudly that he couldn't hear anything else. He leaned against a lamppost, trying to catch his breath before she could emerge from the trees.

Wait.

Was it his imagination, or was the lamppost actually leaning _towards_ him?

Raynare burst out through the treeline, murder in her eyes. "I _was_ going to make it quick… ish," she snarled. "Now, I'm gonna take my time killing you."

Issei's eyes darted around. At least, if Kusaka and the other had managed to get away -

"Hyoudou-kun!" No, _dammit_ , there they still were… Kusaka had her shield still up, while Murayama was trying to help Kiryuu to her feet. "Get over here! Tsubasa's on her way, but she's having to come on foot!"

"O-okay!" Issei turned towards her and tripped over his own feet. He skinned his hands as he landed, pushing himself into a sitting position, and stared up as Raynare loomed over him, a predatory sneer distorting her features.

"Hyoudou-kun!"

"Hyoudou!"

"Aren't you the playboy? 'Yuuma' would have been crushed." Raynare's sneer was right out of the smug villain handbook.

Problem was, she had the upper hand.

Another weapon shaped from magenta light appeared in her hand. This one looked like a hacksaw. Oh, that did not look encouraging. She swung it down, and Issei shot a hand up to parry it, for all the good would do. He closed his eyes, thinking of Sona.

...boy, that death blow was taking its time, huh?

He risked opening one eye, and had to open both in order to stare at the lamppost.

The lamppost that was twisting itself to smack Raynare's arm, sending the light-saw flying.

Raynare swore, shaking her arm in annoyance. She fixed her eyes on Issei. "So. It's _that_ one."

Issei snarled, thrusting his hands towards the lamppost. He wasn't sure _why_ , but it felt like the thing to do.

The lamppost uprooted itself from the pavement, hanging in the air as if suspended from invisible strings.

"What the hell?" Issei said. He could just barely see the looks on Kusaka and Murayama's faces, and they said pretty much the same thing. "Wait - " He tried miming striking Raynare with the iron pole, and it swung like it was trying for a home run, taking her in the breadbasket and nearly sending her to the ground.

"Damn you!" Raynare evaded his second attempt to do so. He would have expected that to actually hurt her, but she seemed little more than bruised. Or maybe she was just driven by spite.

Issei backpedaled, reaching out his hand again. To his surprise, the lamppost came flying back, landing in his hands like the heft of a club. Into the profound silence, he said in a shaky tone, "Go away. Get the hell out of here."

"You think you can trust them?" Raynare laughed. She summoned another hot-pink spear of light.

"I _know_ I can't trust _you_ ," Issei growled. "They've at least earned the benefit of the doubt. _You're_ just trying to kill me." He swung the lamppost around, testing it. He wasn't exactly sure _how_ it was happening, but for whatever reason, the large pole handled like a baseball bat. It would do. He hoped. "You get one chance, Raynare. Walk the hell away now."

"Hyoudou-kun, _go_!" Reya insisted. "I've got this!"

"Sorry, Kusaka, but I think your kaichou would be disappointed in me if I let you get killed." Issei tightened his grip on the streetlight.

"And you think she won't get pissed at _me_ for letting _you_ get killed?!" Reya sputtered in response.

"I'll be fine!" he called back. _I hope,_ he carefully didn't say out loud. He was pretty sure she could see it on his face, anyway. "Get those two idiots out of here!" He jerked his head towards Kiryuu and Murayama.

"We'll be fine, Kusaka-san!" Murayama called out, still helping Kiryuu stand. She had the other girl's arm slung over her shoulder, in order to keep weight off her twisted ankle. She began trying to half-carry Kiryuu towards the street. "Help Hyoudou!"

"I do not have _time_ for this," Raynare complained, and threw herself at Issei with a snarl. "Die!"

"Go to hell!" Issei retorted, and swung the lamppost around in an attempt to parry her light weapon.

For a moment, it looked like it would work. The lamppost strained and buckled, but seemed to be resisting it. Then, inevitably, the iron pole sagged and parted, leaving Issei holding one jagged half of it.

Raynare gave him an executioner's smile.

That grin lasted until a flurry of glowing reddish-black bolts slammed into her midsection. The Fallen Angel fell halfway to the ground before she could recover, and the attack had left some wicked-looking wounds on her torso. She seemed more pissed off than actually injured, though, and turned her glower upon Reya.

Issei had to stare at Kusaka, too. The Student Councilor was looking disheveled, one of her braids blown apart with its ribbon lost, her clothes looking singed and windblown. Her hands were outstretched and shrouded in that same reddish-black light. Her expression was stern and implacable as she let fly with another barrage of magical blasts.

In short, she was looking totally badass and cute.

 _Dammit, Issei, get your head together!_ he berated himself.

Raynare was snarling, and a half-dozen of those glowing spears flared into existence around her, aimed at Kusaka and the others.

"No!" Issei snarled, hurling himself at her, makeshift iron club raised to strike. He knew it was stupid. Oh, he was _well aware_ it was stupid. But the thought of them getting hurt because of him was like a knife twisting in his side.

Raynare seemed to sense that, too, because she sent the spears flying at Kusaka and spun to intercept Issei. She smacked his left arm hard enough to make it ache, causing the iron pole to fall from suddenly-nerveless fingers, and grabbed him by the throat with her other hand. "You really _are_ a chivalrous idiot, aren't you?" she taunted him. "It's almost a pity."

"Woulda… made you… pay for dinner," Issei spat out. As far as dying words of defiance went, they were pretty bad, but he was having a little trouble parsing coherent statements right now. One hand reached out weakly, trying to do the same… whatever it had been… that had put the lamppost in his hands in the first place. A park bench began scooting its way over towards him, but the Fallen Angel dispatched it with a bolt of magenta light.

"That the best you can do?" Raynare sneered, and tightened her grip on his throat. He grabbed at her fingers, trying to pry them loose, but he couldn't even budge them. Issei gasped for air, looking around wildly. He tried to catch Kusaka's eye, tried to wave her and the others off. He saw her and Kiryuu, none the worse for wear, her magical circle shaped into a shield.

 _Wait. Where the hell is -_

"Let him go!" Was it just him, or was Murayama sounding - well, she was obviously worried and angry, but it almost sounded like there was something else in her voice. It had to be the lack of air, he decided fuzzily. There was a loud _whump_ ing sound, followed by a meaty _thwack_ and a sound that could only be a human body hitting pavement. He did hear Murayama's voice groaning, so, she was probably still alive, at least...

There was another snarling sound in the air, the same as from Kusaka's earlier attack, and Raynare shook like a rag doll for a moment. (That didn't Issei any good.) The smell of singed flesh wafted up to his nostrils, not a smell he wanted as his vision started to grey out.

"Drop Hyoudou-kun now!" Kusaka's voice rang out, sounding more firm that he ever would have expected from her.

"I don't think so," Raynare answered. Her voice was laced with actual pain now, but it was also angry. And, somehow, she also sounded triumphant, as if she could withstand Kusaka's attack long enough to get what she wanted and flee. "Don't worry, though. I'll let you and your friends live. Even the stupid little kendoka who thought a shinai could hurt me." He felt himself being swung around roughly, and he could only assume that she was using him as a human shield to dissuade any further actions.

She began tightening her grip on Issei's throat again. This time, he could only scrabble ineffectually at her wrist. Even the fire wasn't helping -

Fire?

Raynare screeched as she found her wrist aflame. Well, to be honest, "aflame" would be a bit of an exaggeration. The flames burned white-hot for several seconds, but then started sparking and guttering out, hardly staying alight long enough to light a cigarette. The Fallen Angel reacted as if a torch had been thrust into her face, though, cuffing him with her free hand and throwing him to the ground. Before he could move, she was grinding her bootheel into his throat. "What the hell _are_ you?" She yelled, sounding more put out that he dared to touch her than anything else.

 _No!_ he raged inwardly. _If you're a man, go out fighting! At least give Kusaka and the others time to get away!_ He willed his hands to push Raynare's bootheel away. It was to no avail, though. His vision went darker grey, sliding towards black, and the pain started receding. That probably wasn't a good thing, if he couldn't sense it anymore.

 _No!_ _Stay alive! Think of Sona! Sona. Sona…_

Issei fixed Sona's face in his mind, putting every last ounce of effort into prying even one finger loose, as if that would be enough to make her appear.

 _Sona..._

 _Sona..._

 _SONA!_

"Sona…" he croaked.

"What _are_ you babbling about?" Raynare said with a contemptuous curl of her lips. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. Good night, I - _what the hell?!_ "

Issei blinked. For some reason, his vision had started sliding back up into greys, albeit slowly. Had she relaxed her grip. And what was that light?

"Why the hell are you glowing?" Raynare was fuming. Indeed, for some reason, that light _was_ coming from him, from inside his jacket. Right about where his phone should be.

But he hadn't managed to make the app work yet. How was this even happening?

All at once, a magical circle flared to life beside the two of them. Some part of Issei (what little of him that wasn't still fighting for his life) noted that it looked just like Sona's teleportation circles. A pillar of light winked into brief existence above it, and when it faded, Sona was standing there.

"Sona," he whispered, and his last reserves fizzled out.

* * *

It wasn't the first time Sona had been accidentally summoned by Issei. She had fond memories of the first time, when she had essentially been his cheerleader while he plugged away at code. The second time had been several months later, on a rare Thursday when there were no projects on the horizon, and they had spent a companionable evening watching one of his silly anime (although she had to confess a certain fondness for the girl who used electromagnetically accelerated coins as projectiles).

This would _not_ be a fond memory, part of her mind thought.

The rest saw nothing but Issei, lying prone and mostly still on the ground. He was kept there by a startled Fallen Angel who dressed like she was in a fetish video, her bootheel pressing down on his throat. He looked like he was on the verge of - no, no, she couldn't let herself think that.

"What the hell - are you _kidding_ me?!" the Fallen Angel blurted out, staring at Sona and grimacing as she apparently recognized her. In her shock, she relaxed her pressure on Issei's throat. "What is the damned Sitri heiress doing here?"

Issei managed to crane his neck, seeing her. A faint smile crossed his mouth, albeit a pained one, as if it took the last of his effort, and he whispered her name before his eyes fluttered shut. His form seemed to go limp -

" _Issei!_ " Sona screamed, and the anger and fright and worry in her voice would have sounded alien even to her sister. Her demonic aura flared, and behind the Fallen Angel the fountain suddenly began boiling. Only the fact that she could still sense Issei's life signs, however erratic, kept the other woman alive.

"What the hell?" the Fallen Angel repeated. Oddly, she didn't seem concerned about facing a high-class Devil and clan heiress. Instead, she actually sounded put out, like a spoiled little girl denied the candy she wanted.

Sona gave her a look that Rias would recognize after yesterday, striding towards her. "Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Husband," she ground out. It was a simple trick of Devil magic to amply her voice, and the demand rang out loudly enough to be heard on the other side of the park.

"Your… your what? _Him_?" The Fallen Angel's demeanor seemed shaken for a moment after hearing those words, but that defiant petulance quickly reasserted itself.

"I _said_ , get your hands off my husband," Sona repeated, the icy fury in her eyes now leaking into her voice. " _Now_." Her fists clenched, a magical circle flaring to life before her, and the water in the fountain began churning and swirling menacingly.

"O-or what?" A tiny part of Sona almost had to admire the Fallen Angel's defiance. Of course, it was possible she was just too fucking stupid to know when she was in trouble, and had decided to double down.

Sona could not _abide_ willfully stupid people.

"Or you won't live to regret it," she said, and her tone was a credible impression of her sister's Celsius Cross Trigger.

The Fallen Angel actually looked like she was willing to chance it. Sona was already starting to shape the fountain's water into a dragon to strike her before she could do permanent harm to Issei. She had also become vaguely aware that Reya was also still there, her own magical circles active and ready to cast spells in support of her King.

(Also, for some reason, Kiryuu Aika and Murayama Kaori were present as well, both of them wounded. _That_ sounded like a story in of itself. Later, though… for now, Issei was the first priority.)

The wind seemed to go out of the Fallen Angel's sails, and she let go of Issei. He fell to the ground, bonking his head on the pavement. There was nasty bruising on his throat, and he looked thoroughly banged up, but he was still breathing. She and Reya could work with that.

"Fine. That stupid Sacred Gear isn't worth the trouble of the House of Sitri landing on me," the Fallen Angel groused. She actually sounded petulant. Sona still couldn't quite tell whether she was amazingly brash or supremely stupid.

Wait.

"Sacred Gear?" she repeated in surprise. Issei had - _why had it never occurred to her to check?_

The Fallen Angel stared at her in surprise, and then burst out laughing. "You - _really_?" she chortled. "Sona Sitri, the woman with a plan for everything - and she never even thought to see if her boyfriend might have something special about him? That's too funny!"

"Get the hell out of here," Sona snapped, her cheeks burning. As if to punctuate her combined embarrassment and anger, the boiling water dragon in the fountain rose, glaring at the Fallen Angel.

"I can leave safely, then?" The Fallen Angel asked. Despite the clear threat to her life, she still sounded more petulant than anything else. Sona was convinced: this woman was just willfully stupid.

"This once. I don't want to see you back in Kuoh again, not even if Azazel himself has you in his entourage," Sona clipped out.

The Fallen Angel sneered, extended her wings again, and took to the air.

Issei mumbled something incoherent, and Sona pulled him close, resting his head on her thighs. This wasn't how she'd intended to give him his first lap pillow.

"Reya!" she called out. "Come here, please. I need help healing Issei-kun." She smoothed the stray hairs back from his forehead.

"sona," he mumbled, almost inaudibly. She remembered the night she'd first heard her name on his lips, when he was asleep, and her heart twisted for a moment.

"I'll be right there, kaichou," Reya answered, as she finished healing Kiryuu's ankle. "Murayama-san got banged up too.."

"That'll be fine," Sona replied, still stroking Issei's forehead.

"This a dream?" he mumbled. "Nah. Hurt too much."

"We'll fix you up," she assured him. "I'm sorry I'm late, Issei-kun."

"It's okay, Sona-chan," he said drowsily. "Did it work? The app?"

"I think it must have," she told him, an exasperated smile crossing her lips. To think he could think of that at a time like this. "You'll be famous in the Underworld, Issei-kun."

"Fine with that," he said, his tone quieting.

Sona tapped his face lightly. "Stay awake, Issei-kun. You're probably concussed." She started a healing spell. Reya was far more proficient with it than she was, but she could get the ball rolling.

"Y' mean it, about me being your husband?" Issei's tone was slightly louder; he was clearly making an effort to stay awake."

"Yes. Well, fiance for now, at least. If you want it, Issei-kun," she answered carefully.

"Damned right I do," he said firmly. Sona let out the breath she hadn't realize she was holding. She'd been sure… but even so, hearing the confirmation was a relief.

"Coming, kaichou!" Reya sprinted over, with Kiryuu and Murayama in tow. The latter two nearly stumbled as they saw Issei's head resting on her lap, Kiryuu's expression becoming thoughtful while Murayama just began blushing. Reya didn't even blink, just kneeling next to Issei and beginning a healing spell.

"Exactly why are you two here?" Sona asked archly.

The two students exchanged glances. Murayama cleared her throat and spoke first. "What about _you_ , kaichou? Who was that woman, and how are you able to do _that_?" She pointed up at the massive water dragon that was still looming over the park, waiting for a target to devour.

Sona followed her finger, and made a chagrined noise. She waved the hand that wasn't caressing Issei's face, and the dragon returned neatly to the fountain, dissipating back into the still water.

"That's actually pretty cool," Kiryuu said. "Could you teach us how to do that?"

Murayama facepalmed at the other girl's reaction, and turned back to Sona. Her tone was calm, but frayed at the edges. "Wait, what about the rest of it?! Why were the Council and the ORC out at the old church? Where did you guys learn to do magic?" Her tone was fraying more and more with each sentence. "And why is Hyoudou sleeping with his head in your lap? Why was she threatening to kill him?"

"...you guys must have followed me to the park from the church," Reya said incredulously. "Kaichou, he'll be a little more comfortable if you shift him that way a little… that's better, thanks."

"And then there's the thing Murayama-chan is too embarrassed to ask," Kiryuu added with a smirk, causing the kendoka to blush even harder. She seemed to be rolling with the punches relatively well, which was kind of suspicious in of itself. "Are you and Hyoudou together? What was it you yelled earlier? 'Get your hands off my husband?'"

Sona decided to meet her, brazenness for brazenness. "Yes. We are."

Both girls blinked at the blunt admission, clearly not having expected it. Again, Kiryuu recovered first, looking thoughtful. "We'd noticed Hyoudou had been changing since he'd started hanging out with the Council. You being the girl he was involved with, though… I hadn't expected _that_ , kaichou."

"Sona-chan," Issei mumbled in his twilight state between sleep and consciousness, turning his head in her lap. This brought an odd expression to Murayama's face ("odd" because Sona hadn't thought it possible for so many conflicting emotions to show up on someone's face simultaneously) and a good-natured smirk to Kiryuu's.

The sound of running footsteps became audible, and everyone looked up sharply. They were relieved to see Tsubasa, looking windblown, trotting up to the fountain. "Sorry it took so long," she said, eyes glancing around quickly. "...what'd I miss?"

"People not knowing how to listen," Reya said, a touch of asperity in her voice. "I _told_ people it wasn't me. Something about 2-B seems to turn people's hearing _off_." She finished the casting, the magical circle winking out of existence, and she stood, wiping her brow. "He's fine now."

Issei sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Nngh." His eyes fully opened, and he looked around frantically. "Kusaka! Are you guys - "

"Everyone's fine, Hyoudou-kun," Reya answered. "Kaichou got here in time. I think you summoned her with her phone." She cleared her throat. "Now that you're better - " She slapped him gently upside the head. "Next time, try _listening_ when I tell you not to charge the Fallen Angel," she told him, her tone one of fond exasperation. (Sona silently noted this.)

"Duly noted," he said with an embarrassed laugh. "You keep saving my ass, Kusaka."

"You're going to owe me drinks for life, at this rate," she agreed with a good-natured laugh.

He nodded in agreement, and turned his head towards Sona. No one could miss the way he lit up when his eyes met hers. She returned that smile, rising to her feet and offering him a hand up. He took it and rose as well.

"Someone please explain what's going on," Murayama repeated. She sounded like she was about to collapse from the sheer number of shocks and unanswered questions.

Sona rubbed the bridge of her nose. This evening was supposed to be simple and pleasant. She was starting to regret letting that Fallen Angel live. "All right." She looked apologetically at Issei. "Issei-kun, I'm sorry, but are you okay with a change of plans?"

"Sure," he said carefully. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

"Yura and the fukukaichou were right. I really wish you'd told me up front," Issei said awkwardly, picking at his second Hamburg steak. He looked both guilty about insisting on a point, and resolute about doing it anyway. "I get why you didn't, and I can't complain about where we wound up, but still…" He looked at Sona, smiling wanly and reaching for her hand. "It's okay, just… next time, be up front about stuff, huh?"

Sona still felt somewhat guilty. She bobbed her head in agreement, though, accepting the closure of the matter. "That's reasonable." She started slightly at his touch, then relaxed as he took her hand. As his smile warmed, she felt the guilt finally start easing away, and she interlaced his fingers with his. She hadn't realized how good a simple gesture of affection like that would feel.

"Look at you two. I can really believe you're engaged." That came from Kiryuu Aika, on the other side of the booth. Her tone was lightly teasing, but it was also completely devoid of derision or mockery.

The three of them, plus Reya, Murayama, Tsubaki, Tsubasa, and Rias, occupied a large circular booth in one corner of the local Gusto. The family restaurant was doing a brisk trade on a Friday night, packed to the gills with families and students on cheap dates. The background noise made for decent security, even if service left something to be desired. (Not that that had stopped Sona and Rias from putting up some basic anti-eavesdropping spells.) Half-empty plates and glasses littered the table as the assembled students picked over the remains of their meals. Several meals' worth each, in some cases; surviving a brush with death tended to work up an appetite.

"Exactly how many Devils _are_ there at school?" Murayama asked incredulously. Food and being removed from a life-threatening situation had done much to calm her down, and she was finally starting to look rationally at the situation.

"Just the Council and the ORC," Reya said brightly, returning from the drink bar with refills gathered carefully in her arms. As she distributed them, she added, "Rias-sempai actually holds dominion over the town in the name of her family, while she and kaichou share control of the school."

"Weird," Murayama muttered, reaching for the remains of her meal.

"So, Hyoudou, I guess you're gonna become a Devil then, to be with the kaichou?" Kiryuu asked. Sona wondered if anyone else noticed the way Murayama twitched at that.

"Yeah," Issei said, not meeting Kiryuu's eyes. His tone was level, but there were notes of uncertainty in it. Not about the final result, but about the fine details, from his expression. He looked over at Sona. "Can you come over after this? So we can talk about details?"

"Yes. Yes, of course, Issei-kun." Sona cleared her throat, reluctantly turning away from him. Wanting to discuss details with Issei was one thing, but she saw two more potential candidates for her peerage right here. "Are you interested, Kiryuu-san? Actually, that goes for both of you. You both handled a life-threatening situation with a Fallen Angel with relative calm, so that says good things about your nerves." She shifted her gaze towards Kiryuu. "You expressed interest in learning magic earlier. This would be a good way to do so."

"Sure," Kiryuu said without a hint of hesitation.

Murayama goggled at her. "Wha - ? Just like that?"

"Just like that," Kiryuu replied. "My family's not exactly normal, Murayama-chan. Kaa-san's dad was from a long line of kannushi. Tou-chan's family has a _lot_ of stories about youkai and even kami marrying into it." She smiled wryly. "You say the Devils run this town, right, kaichou?"

"Sort of," Sona answered carefully. "We try to keep out of human affairs as much as possible. We don't have a death grip on city government or policy, Kiryuu-san."

"But still. You influence things, and the other guys… whatever that woman tonight was, and anyone other parties… they recognize Kuoh as your territory, right?" Kiryuu pressed.

"Yes," Sona said, looking shrewdly at the other meganekko. "'Join the winning team?' Is that what you're thinking?"

"Kind of," Kiryuu agreed with a shrug. "Now that I know something, I can't just pretend I don't. So, I might as well join up, try to get some room for myself to maneuver." Her sardonic smile softened a little. "But I really would like to learn some magic, too."

"Understood," Sona told her, inclining her head briefly towards Kiryuu. The girl was smart and observant. If she had an unused Bishop… well, she had three unused Pawns. That would be enough, considering what she'd mentioned about her background.

She then shifted her gaze towards Murayama. "And you, Murayama-san? Reya saind that you attempted to attack that Fallen Angel and save Issei-kun. Even if it didn't succeed, you demonstrated courage and nerve. You would make a fine Knight."

Murayama's brows knit confusedly as Sona emphasized the last word. "Can I think about it?" she said slowly.

"Certainly. But I would like you to think quickly. It would be best if you made up your mind by Monday morning." She looked at Kiryuu. "I'm planning a Council meeting for tomorrow afternoon. I'd like you to come so we can start integrating you. Murayama-san, perhaps you'd like to come as well, so you'll have a clearer picture of things." After all, if things didn't work out, there was always memory magic.

"Sure," Kiryuu piped up. At the same time, Murayama said, "Okay."

The opening theme from _Sazae-san_ started playing out of nowhere, startling everyone at the table. It took them a moment to realize that the sound was coming from Issei's phone. "It's kaa-san's ringtone," he mumbled, red-faced, as he fished the phone out of his ruined jacket. "Hello, kaa-san?"

He abruptly winced, holding the phone away from his ear. "What… yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm having dinner with friends, remember?" He shot a look at the girls around the table, holding a finger to his lips, and continued speaking. "No, I don't know anything about weird stuff happening tonight. Yeah. Yeah, okay, I'll be careful on the way home. It'll probably be late, we're talking about seeing a movie."

Issei listened to her response, and it made his cheeks flare red again. "It's people from the Student Council, kaa-san, it's not a date!" His tone was slightly plaintive. "No, kaa-san, last time I checked, the school's eLearning site doesn't make for romantic conversation…" He hung his head. "Yes, kaa-san. I'll keep it down when I get home. Love you, bye…" He let out a longsuffering sigh as he hung up, looking humiliated.

"Oh, I don't know, Hyoudou-kun," Rias said airily. "Talking about eLearning sounds pretty romantic to me." Snickers erupted around the table; even Sona was unable to keep a brief smile off her face. Issei just turned redder and grumbled, "For that, sempai, _you're_ paying."

"So harsh, Hyoudou-kun!" Rias put a hand to her forehead, playing up the melodrama. "I suppose I'm really _not_ your type."

"I am _never_ going to live that down," Issei groused.

Sona squeezed Issei's hand, finally causing his expression to relax. "I'm happy to be your type instead."

Issei smiled tightly, returning the squeeze.

* * *

"This won't hurt, right?" Issei asked. He and Sona sat together on his bed, cross-legged and facing each other. They hadn't done all that much talking yet, even though the clock told them it was two A.M. Mostly, they had just held each other; after the evening's stress, they had needed that. (He was certain that they'd actually fallen asleep for awhile, around midnight.) It had only been in the last few minutes that they'd mustered up the energy to actually talk.

"No," Sona assured him. "You won't feel anything. You probably won't notice any difference until you do something physically strenuous. Rooks have superhuman strength and stamina, so that'll be something you'll learn to handle. Tsubasa is also a Rook, so she'll be willing to teach you."

"And we'll be able to be together. Right?" Issei asked, making it clear what his primary concern was.

"It'll be much easier for us to be, if you're a Devil too," Sona said with a firm nod. "If you remain human, there's likely to be opposition. My sister would probably support us, but our relationship with the rest of my family would probably be… strained. I was already under pressure to accept an arranged marriage once, and only avoided it with the chess game requirement. If I married a normal human, they might decide that was null and void, and try to force another one on me."

She took his hands. She felt warm; he wasn't sure if her body temperature was different from a normal human's. "But they'll accept you. Particularly once you've advanced in rank. You're already attracting attention because of your work on the app. And tonight might have been a breakthrough… I believe you'll make quite a name for yourself as a Devil." She paused, then finished, "So, yes, Issei-kun. If you do this, we'll be able to be together for a very, very long time."

Hyoudou Issei took a deep breath. Sitting in front of him was the woman he'd always wanted. Even if he hadn't known it until nine months ago. And all he had to give up to have her was his humanity -

 _No,_ he told himself. _Sona-chan can be cool, and calculating, but she's sure not_ evil _. Neither are Yura, or Kusaka, or the fukukaichou, or - well, okay, maybe Saji, but maybe he's just a jerk._

It wasn't like he didn't already know what he was going to decide, anyway.

"You've got me, Sona-chan," he said, and if his smile was a little resigned, it was free of indecision now. "You already knew that, though, didn't you?"

"Yes," Sona acknowledged. "But consider this, Issei-kun. You have _me_ , too." The small smile he loved was playing at her lips. She summoned an intricately worked wooden case out of nowhere. It showed the same level of workmanship as her chess set, and might even have been fashioned by the same artisan. She unlatched the lid, pulling out a rook piece made from an odd-looking crystal. She turned it over in her hand for a moment, then placed it on his chest, oriented so its base rested flat against his rib cage.

Nothing happened.

Both of them stared at the rook piece.

"I, um, take it that's not supposed to happen," Issei remarked, unable to refrain from some dry humor.

"No," Sona said, her tone equally dry. "Ah. One moment…" She replaced the rook piece, and pulled out another piece made from that same odd crystal. This piece, though, was… different. Honestly, it didn't look like any chess piece he'd ever seen before; something about it seemed oddly amorphous. She placed it against Issei's chest in the same fashion as before, and this time, he felt an odd warming sensation. It was as if the piece was merging with him somehow.

He looked down, and saw that very thing happening. After the night he'd had, though, it was almost anticlimactic.

As it did, Sona spoke with her eyes closed, in a tone of recitation. "Arise. I bid you, cast off the mortal stuff of Man, and don the infernal skin of a Devil. I bind you, body and soul, to my heart and service. Arise, Hyoudou Issei, Rook in service to the House of Sitri." She hesitated for a split-second, then added, her cheeks pink, "And my beloved."

There was a soft glow around his chest. It faded after a moment.

"I take it that last part of the chant isn't standard," Issei joked weakly.

"Not usually, no," she answered, her cheeks still pink.

"Why'd that one work when the first one didn't?" he wondered.

"The second one was a Mutation Piece," Sona explained. "They're rare pieces, able to reincarnate people who otherwise would require several pieces. And, since I already have one Rook in Tsubasa… well, we're fortunate that onee-sama gave me one as a gift."

"I guess we are," Issei agreed, still processing events.

"Think of it as a compliment. Needing a Mutation Piece for reincarnation means you're special, and I can expect amazing things from you." Sona gave him a proud, fierce smile. "Welcome to my peerage, Issei-kun."

Not knowing how else to respond, Issei bowed. Well, as best he could from how he was sitting, anyway. "Um. Thank you, Sona… sama?"

Her smile turned warm and tender again. "What did I tell you about when we were alone?"

"Sona - "

Sona's mouth cut him off.

This kiss was even better than their first one. So was the feel of Sona's warm body moving into his arms, and the sensation of her arms snaking around his neck

"I'm sorry," she murmured breathlessly against his mouth. "About earlier. About what I should have said earlier… I should have told you in the Council room. I wanted to… but I also wanted to celebrate finally being able to be with you."

"It's okay," he murmured back. "I told you earlier. Just keep kissing me." A soft laugh against her mouth. "Afraid this is a dream, and I'm gonna - "

Sona gently broke the kiss, and reached up, cupping his face gently but firmly with both hands. Once his eyes were on hers, she stroked his face lovingly. "I promise you, this is real… anata." She smiled again as she felt his surprise at the even deeper intimacy.

Quietly, almost as if confessing a dirty secret, he said, "I like that… I like hearing you call me that."

Sona slipped her arms back around him, hugging him as tightly as she could. He now had a vague realization that she'd been holding back before. What he felt as a gentle, pleasant pressure now probably would have cracked ribs a few minutes ago. "You'd better get used to hearing it, then," she said, her words at once commanding and loving.

"You'll stay tonight, then?" he asked.

"Yes. And as often as I can," she answered, gently bumping her forehead against his. "I need to make sure my fiancee doesn't get into unauthorized trouble, after all." Her smile was a little sly, a little expectant, and a lot affectionate.

"Good," Issei told her, and closed the distance between their lips again.

* * *

Notes:

And Issei finally knows he's engaged! I've been looking forward to reaching this point since… well, since the first time I read the original _Digital x Dragon_.

One piece of bad news: This will probably be the last update before the New Year. I have several other projects that are needing attention, as well as RL stuff (Future!Issei may be able to cope with a dozen-plus kids, but I have my hands full with one). But I'll continue working on Chapter 3, and that will be out as soon as possible.

As promised, I have the official harem list right here:

Harem: Sona (main girl), Tsubasa, Reya, Kiryuu, Murayama, Ravel

I'm leaving two additional slots for unexpected storyline developments, but I'm married to those six girls (pun intended). I'm also willing to listen to suggestions for the other two girls (feel free to PM me), but I have two hard nos for this fic: no one from the ORC (I'm going for a more sibling-esque dynamic between them and Issei in this fic), and not Serafall (those who also read _Tomorrow is a Long, Long Time (When You've Lost Your Way)_ , which shares this continuity, will understand why).

No, Issei isn't the Sekiryuutei this go-round. His Sacred Gear, however, _is_ potentially just as powerful, and it's canon (although I will probably be playing fast and loose with what it's capable of). It'll be named next chapter, but you'll probably be able to figure it out.

Here's something I don't know if anyone else has noticed: Issei's mom looks just like a middle-aged version of Murayama. Yes, this _will_ be used to needle Issei with later.

Reya being in Issei's class was inspired by majik7's _DxD: A Different Direction_. That, LanceSennin's Issei x Sona fics, and (surprisingly) Xavon Wrentaile's _Beyond the Outer Gate Lies…_ are the primary fanfic inspirations for this series. (Yes, I know the last is a Dresden Files crossover, but it's gone some ways in informing my mental characterization of Tsubasa and Reya.)

This chapter's title is taken from the last verse of Bryan Ferry's "Slave to Love," which is something I desperately want a pretext for having Issei and Sona singing together at karaoke.

Next Time: Chapter 3: And I'll Be Everything You Ask, and More

" _So you're my new little brother!"_


	4. Interlude: Mommy's All Right

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. If I owned it, Issei and company would already be in space!

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Fluff/silliness warning. Author's musical tastes warning.

* * *

 _INTERLUDE: Mommy's All Right, Daddy's All Right, They Just Seem a Little Weird_

* * *

"Have fun, Issei! Be careful!" Hyoudou Rio called after her son, and turned towards her husband. "Think it's a girl?"

"Could be," Hyoudou Gorou said thoughtfully. "He's been spending a lot of time with those Student Council girls lately." The salaryman (so far as his son knew, anyway) smiled faintly. "It's his heritage shining through."

Rio snorted in amusement. "I hope it's that president girl, what's her name - Shitori, that's right. She seems sensible, even if she probably _is_ a Devil." She paused before swatting her husband's arm playfully; this conversation could easily go in melancholy directions, and she didn't want to ruin their mood. "And where _are_ those other girls of yours _now_ , Gorou-kun?"

"The worthwhile one stuck around," he answered, his smile wan but present. He took her hand and rose with a grace his son never would have credited him with. "Feel like dinner out?"

"Sweet-talker," Rio said, her cheeks slightly red. She was inwardly relieved; discussing Daria and everything that had followed wasn't how she wanted to spend the evening. "Let me change real quick. Where were you thinking?" As she was speaking, she waved one hand in a invocational gesture, and her jeans and blouse were replaced by cargo pants and a thick sweater.

"Let's see if that place in Hakodate is still open," Gorou suggested, opening the door to the backyard. He muttered to himself for a moment, a simple noise-suppression spell to ward off nosy neighbors. "I haven't had a good, long flight in awhile…"

"Try and avoid air control radar this time, please," Rio told him dryly. Another wave of the hand, and twenty years fell away from her features. "Better."

"I'll say," Gorou agreed, making a show of looking her up and down. "I do like how you look as a mom, though." He closed his eyes and exhaled, and his own face lost its years and miles. The result was a young man who looked like a slightly older Issei.

"You'd better," she chided him playfully. "Are the wards set?"

"Yep." They stepped outside, and Gorou… _changed_. Scales sprouted out, his body shifted and lengthened. When he was finished, an Eastern dragon rested on its haunches in the backyard. "Hop on, pretty lady," Gorou's voice boomed out.

"I've never heard _that_ one before," Rio laughed. She settled onto his back with the ease of long practice, though, and her husband sprang into the sky.

* * *

"That place in Hakodate" was a teppanyaki restaurant, a place full of bright memories from a happier time. It was, indeed, still open, and now run by an old friend of theirs. The tanuki was from Fukuoka, and his skill behind a stove was only matched by his appetite.

They had also been fortunate in their timing. Several of their other acquaintances had decided to eat there that night as well, and it had become an impromptu party.

Really, it was the best date night that Gorou and Rio had had in several years. So, it was almost predictable when it was ruined.

"Hey, Gorou-kun." Takamichi, the proprietor, poked his head out of the kitchen. "You and Rio-chan still live in Kuoh, right?"

"That's right, why?" Gorou looked up from his beer.

"The Kyoto observer in Kuoh is reporting some kind of dust-up." The normally-jovial tanuki had a cell phone pressed to one ear, and he looked unwontedly concerned. "Something about a Fallen Angel and a Devil getting into it."

" _What?!"_ Gorou was out of his seat before he quite realized it. He looked at Rio, whose expression was equally alarmed. She rose as well, and they both walked over to the kitchen door.

Takamichi held up a hand, listening to the person on the other hand. "Okay… okay, thanks, Shizuku-san… thank you. Yeah, I owe you." He ended the call, and turned back to Gorou and Rio. "Okay, it sounds like things are under control. I guess a Fallen Angel got into a scrap with someone that one of the local Devils has close ties with, and the Devil sent the crow packing."

Rio exchanged glances with her husband, and he nodded. She stepped away from him, fishing her own cell phone out of her purse, and dialed Issei's phone. After several rings, he picked up; the sounds of a restaurant could be heard faintly in the background. "Hello, kaa-san?"

"Issei? Is everything okay? You're not up to any trouble, right?" She kept her tone light, faintly teasing.

She could hear the embarrassed exasperation in his voice. "What… yes, yes, I'm fine, I'm having dinner with friends, remember?"

"Ah, yes, that's right. You didn't hear about anything weird happening tonight, did you?"

"No, I don't know anything about weird stuff happening tonight." Issei's voice had the right notes of confusion and mild indignation.

"You're sure?" Rio repeated.

"Yeah." He was starting to sound agitated. Those friends he was eating with? At least one of them had to be a girl. Probably _the_ girl; Rio knew how to tell when her son was crushing on someone.

"All right, just wanted to make sure. Be careful on your way home, all right?"

"Yeah, okay, I'll be careful on the way home." Issei sounded like he was starting to settle down now. "It'll probably be late, we're talking about seeing a movie."

"Try and make it home before midnight, then," Rio said, then smiled evilly. "I'm sure your date's parents want her home at a reasonable hour, too."

She could _hear_ the blush in his voice. "It's people from the Student Council, kaa-san, it's not a date!"

Rio had to suppress a giggle. "Are you sure it's not? A friend of mine met her husband when they were working on the Student Council together. Lots of time alone, talking intensely..."

"No, kaa-san, last time I checked, the school's eLearning site doesn't make for romantic conversation…" His tone was plaintive, begging her to change the topic.

"All right, Issei. I'll let you get back to your friends. Try and keep it down if you get home late."

"Yes, kaa-san. I'll keep it down when I get home. Love you, bye…" He sounded relieved to end the call. Rio let the giggle out this time. Her son was too cute not to tease sometimes.

Gorou looked back over at her. "Issei's all right?"

"Yes," Rio told her husband. "He's probably neck deep in whatever happened, but I doubt he was the instigator. That's one kind of trouble I've never worried about from him."

Gorou nodded, looking resigned, and turned towards Takamichi. "Can we settle up?"

"Sure," Takamichi answered. As the debit card was running, he added, "Oh, Kuroka-chan was in here last month."

The Hyoudous froze again. Rio found her voice first. "Was she?"

Takamichi hesitated, then reached under the register and passed her a folded slip of notebook paper. "She left this in case you came by again."

"As opposed to actually calling us?" Gorou said darkly. "That's just - "

"Gorou-kun, that's enough," Rio said, softly but firmly. She took the paper. "Thank you, Takamichi-san."

* * *

"Are you feeling better now?" Rio asked as they landed in the backyard. A roundabout trip skimming the Sea of Japan had once been Gorou's preferred way of cooling off. Rio didn't mind it, despite the chill and the sea spray; a few minor incantations were enough to stave off the ill effects of those.

"Yeah," Gorou admitted, waiting until his wife had dismounted before returning to his human form. "Thank you for sitting through that, Rio."

"It's all right," she assured him, opening the back door. "I wasn't much happier to hear about it. Between that, and what almost happened to Issei…"

"I know," he agreed. "Let's check on him. It's after midnight, he has to be home."

Rio nodded in agreement.

Issei was, indeed, in bed and asleep. That much was as expected.

The fact that he and a girl were curled around each other, though, that was… well, it was _less_ expected. The fact that it was the Student Council president herself wasn't that surprising, though.

"At least they're both still dressed," Gorou said philosophically, sounding like he was trying to suppress a belly laugh.

"So she's the girl, hmm?" Rio said, smiling genuinely. "She's probably the one who saved his life tonight."

As if to confirm this, their son mumbled "Sona-chan" just loudly enough for them to hear, and tightened his arms around her. For her part, "Sona-chan" just burrowed deeper into his embrace.

There was a brief flash of light, and Rio shot her husband a mildly annoyed look. "Did you just snap a photo?"

"Yes, I did." Gorou tucked the phone back into his pocket. "Shall we let them sleep?"

"It'll be more fun to wake them in the morning if we do," Rio agreed, and started pushing Gorou towards their bedroom.

* * *

Notes:

I'm gonna start incorporating a few ideas from the more serious/dramatic "Issei joins Sona's peerage" idea I had (since, honestly, that'll probably never get written). Issei's parents, and the references to their past, are central to that. Expect to see some familiar faces showing up in unexpected contexts.

The interlude's title is, naturally, from Cheap Trick's "Surrender." Appropriate, given the context, no?


	5. Chapter 3: And I'll Be Everything You

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. (If I owned it, Issei and company would have hijacked a starship by now.)

In addition, this fanfiction borrows elements from _Arifureta_ (property of Shirakome Ryo, J-Novel Club, Seven Seas Entertainment, White Fox, and Asread), _Recovery of an MMO Junkie_ (property of Kokuyō Rin, Comico, and Signal MD), and _Great Teacher Onizuka_ (property of Fujisawa Tohru, _Weekly Shonen Magazine_ , Animax, and Fuji Television).

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Fluff/silliness warning. Lemon warning. Violence warning. Author's musical tastes warning. (The lemon scenes have been clipped out of the storyline proper, and are posted after the author's endnotes.)

* * *

40 reviews, and more than a hundred follows and likes each. I appreciate all the kind words, and I'm glad people are enjoying this fic!

Now, to answer some of the reviews:

LanceSennin: Irina will _probably_ be the seventh girl. Xenovia, sadly, is ineligible, due to the ORC being out of the running in this fic.

CRIMSON Dragon Virus: I'm glad you enjoy my writing style! I can't take all the credit for this fic's version of Issei, though. Much of that is thanks to KurobaraIto, who made a point of establishing this Issei as someone who loves code as much as C-cups. As for what's up with Issei's mom, you'll be finding out very soon. And, finally, as for how Kuroka is involved with the Hyoudous, I can't say too much without getting into spoilers… but I _will_ say that she was never part of any harem Gorou or Rio ever had. (Chew on that. ;) )

DarkElucidator: "So damn cute" is one of the things I was aiming for, so thank you!

Wargame-sama: Issei does _not_ have the Boosted Gear in this fic, although I have a few candidates in mind for who _does_. You'll find out what his Sacred Gear is in this chapter.

Mystic Blade Works: Thank you for the kind words. Kouki _is_ the kind of the character who lends himself to the non-evil antagonist role, isn't he? Both he and Shizuku will have recurring roles.

Mile De: I can see how you'd feel that way, but there's a method to my madness. Issei's now in a very visible position among the student body, so my reasoning was that having an antagonist of sorts from among the "cool kids" would make sense. I'll be trying not to do it for cheap drama, though. (For that matter, I have plans for Saji, too…)

honuka: Making people "spit rainbows" is also something I was aiming for. So, thank you as well. :D

guest: Momo is still in the running. Tsubaki is not, for several reasons. You'll be seeing why before too long.

Renaro: I'm glad you're enjoying the fic! Writing pissed-off-magic-wielding Sona has been great fun for me, and I'm glad you enjoy the depiction of Reya. That's largely based on how she's been written in _Beyond the Outer Gate Lies…_ and _DxD: A Different Direction_ , but I'm trying to put my own spin on her.

* * *

 _Chapter 3: And I'll Be Everything You Ask, and More_

* * *

Saturday:

There was nothing better than waking up next to a cute girl who was only wearing panties and a button-down shirt.

 _Well,_ Issei thought with no small amount of satisfaction, _if that girl happens to be your new fiancee, I guess that_ does _make it even better._

He hadn't had a chance to see her sleeping face the first night she'd stayed. What he saw this morning more than made up for it. Even though he knew her face well enough to recognize subtle expressions, this was the first time he'd seen her looking so unguarded, so relaxed.

She was beautiful when she was awake, even when she was coldly angry. Asleep and free of worries, she was breathtaking.

He reached out, gently touching her face. She started slightly, eyes half-opening, and her lips curled into a smile. "Issei-kun."

"Morning, Sona-chan," he whispered, leaning close. His mouth brushed hers, and as they kissed, she stretched her arms and wrapped them lightly around his neck. "Mmm, I think I can get used to this," he said with a grin.

"Good," she murmured, stretching again before drawing him back down beside her. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking as she took in the mid-morning sunlight. It was a new experience, seeing her sans glasses. It was just another side to her that he found fascinating. "I'd like us to stay in bed all day, you know," she added with a sleepy smile.

"Me too," he said, brushing her hair back from her eyes, before smiling resignedly. "I don't suppose we can…"

"No," Sona sighed. "What time is it? We have the Council meeting in the afternoon, so we can bring you and Kiryuu-san up to speed…"

Issei craned his neck, and was just barely able to see the clock. "Looks like eight-thirty." He blanched. " _Eight -_ "

"It's an off Saturday," Sona reminded him. "We don't have to get up just yet," she added with a smile.

"I definitely don't _want_ to," he said, looking a little frantic. "But kaa-san's probably working on breakfast right now, so - "

The knock at his door startled them both. A moment later, Issei's father's voice rang out. "Issei, your mom has breakfast ready."

"Okay, tou-san, I'll be right down!" Issei called out, starting to stand. Sona reached for her glasses, looking around for her school uniform.

"Your mom made plenty, so tell Shitori-san she's welcome to join us."

Issei and Sona both froze. Their eyes met, their faces mirroring each other in mortification. The worst part was the obvious smile in Issei's father's voice.

Issei closed his eyes, and made a "go-ahead" gesture. Sona donned her glasses, sighed, and answered, "Thank you, Hyoudou-san. I'd been happy to join you two and Issei-kun."

"Come on down as soon as you're ready. You two can tell us about your date last night." If anything, the smile in Hyoudou Gorou's voice sounded like it had just widened.

Issei and Sona looked at each other for a long moment, then burst out laughing. There really wasn't anything else to do. Issei recovered first, giving her an affectionate look. "Well, at least they like you."

Sona was red-faced, a look that made Issei want to pull her back down to the bed. "That must be a good sign," she agreed. "I suppose we should go down, then. After dressing, of course." She smirked. "Only _you_ get to see this, Issei-kun."

-xxxx-

"So, how was dinner?" Rio (Sona had made a point of learning Issei's parents' names, back when she realized she was developing feelings for him) asked with a sly smile. Like her husband, she seemed greatly amused by how embarrassed her son and his new girlfriend seemed.

"It was fine," Issei said. His face was cherry-red, and he had a death grip on Sona's hand underneath the table. She squeezed back, silently encouraging him.

"Anything you two want to tell us?" Gorou added lazily.

Issei took a deep breath, and straightened up. "Tou-san, kaa-san, there's something I need to tell you." He rose stiffly, his back ramrod straight. "Sona-chan and I are getting married. N-not right away," he added quickly. "After we're done with school. Maybe after we're done with college. But we've decided, we love each other and we're gonna get married."

There was a stunned silence at the table. Clearly, they hadn't expected _that_ bomb to be dropped on them. At least, not separate from more awkward news.

Sona reached for his arm. "Issei-kun, relax," she said softly. "Sit back down." As he did so, she rose, turning her eyes back towards his parents. "He's absolutely correct, though. You may have noticed that we've grown steadily closer over the last school year. Last night, we talked at length about this, and came to that conclusion." She bowed to Issei's parents. "I know he would be happy for us to receive your blessing, and I would be as well."

Gorou and Rio exchanged looks, then smiled and shook their heads. Rio looked at the two of them. "I don't see how we can refuse, if you two feel that way and have actually thought it out."

"It helps that you're not rushing to get hitched for the obvious reason," Gorou added with a smirk.

" _Tou-san_!" Issei snapped. "We haven't - " He cut himself off, facepalming. "I'm just gonna shut up and eat my breakfast now," he muttered.

"Smart boy," Gorou said, reaching across the table to clap his son on his shoulder. "I wish I'd been that sensible at your age."

As the atmosphere in the dining room relaxed, Sona silently glanced at her future parents-in-law. She was silently pleased that they were rolling with this so easily, but that raised some questions in of itself. Something about this seemed… not bad, but unusual.

She closed her eyes for a moment, reaching out her magical senses. Honestly, she was at a loss as to explain why she hadn't done this before.

Hmm.

They almost read as normal… oh. The _house_. Someone had laid some powerful and subtle enchantments into the foundation, and _those_ were subtly affecting her attempts at sensing. Not by much, but just enough that the two of them kept reading as almost perfectly normal.

 _What are you two?_ she wondered. Issei displayed no sign whatsoever that there might be anything unusual about his parents. And they definitely weren't _hostile_ towards her, so she didn't want to disrupt that. The best thing was probably to let this rest for the moment.

It was a mystery, though. Sona had a hard time resisting mysteries. And it was one linked to her fiance, which made it twice as tempting.

* * *

"Have you come to a decision, Murayama-san?"

"Yeah." Murayama looked like she was still ambivalent, but was committed to a course of action anyway. "What Kiryuu-san said last night, about joining up in order to get some control over what happens to me, made a lot of sense. So, yeah, I'll join up too. You said something about being a Knight, right? What's that entail?"

"We'll be glad to have you, Murayama-san," Sona said, inclining her head politely towards the kendoka. "Actually, if everyone's comfortable, we can begin the orientation and bring our new members up to speed."

Issei glanced around the room. The members of the Student Council, plus its newest member (himself), Kiryuu, and Murayama were gathered in the living room of Sona's apartment. It was a surprisingly spacious one-bedroom flat near the school campus, and was tastefully appointed in a minimalist style. Yet, if you knew what you were looking for, you'd find the small touches that showed Sona's personality.

Issei was starting to know what he was looking for.

Everyone gathered was in casual clothing, this being a Saturday off from school. It was an interesting education in what people chose to dress when not required to wear a uniform. He himself was dressed pretty simply, in blue jeans and a red button-down shirt over his favorite black "Six Stages of Debugging" T-shirt. Sona wore a grey denim skirt and a white shirt that - _hey, wait, that's one of_ my _school shirts!_

 _It sure looks better on_ her _than it does on me._

As if sensing what he was thinking, his fiancee looked his way and smiled faintly. He was starting to be able to tell the subtle differences between her small smiles now; this one, he knew, was the rough equivalent to another girl's flirtatious grin and come-hither eyes. It had the same effect as well, warming his cheeks slightly.

"Sorry, sorry…" Kusaka came in, bearing a tray with everyone's drinks. She distributed them, taking hers and Issei's last. She handed him his Coke as she sat beside him, paused to read his T-shirt, and snorted in amusement. He glanced at her _Fruits de Mer_ T-shirt and returned the favor.

"We still need to find a pretext for Murayama-san and Kiryuu-san joining us regularly," Saji said stonily. The Council secretary wore fashionable slacks and a polo shirt, but his expression detracted from his handsomeness. "It's too soon to make another announcement about a new Council member, especially with the new rumors about Hyoudou." He pointedly avoided looking at Issei.

"I have an idea for that," Tsubaki answered, looking at Sona. The vice-president wore a simple black dress, and her long mane of ebon hair was gathered into a thick ponytail and draped over her left shoulder. "Club delegates to the Council."

"That seems sensible," Sona agreed, looking at Murayama. "If I arrange that with Yaegashi-san, are you willing to do that? It will mean some busywork, but not that much."

"Sure," Murayama said with a shrug. She was dressed in black cargo pants and a blue blouse worn over a grey fitted T-shirt. Her hair was back in a single ponytail today instead of her normal twintails, a fact that kept causing Issei to wonder why a stranger was in the room with them.

"I'm not part of any club, though," Kiryuu pointed out. She wore shorts and a sweatshirt, a somewhat contradictory combination that she somehow managed to make look good.

Sona glanced at her fiance. "Issei-kun, you never officially dissolved the programming club, did you?"

"Nope, it's still on the books," Issei told her. "Never got anyone else interested in it, though. Not even Matsuda or Motohama, not when I told them it wouldn't just be for watching Internet porn."

"Well, now you have your first recruit," the Council president said with a note of amiable finality.

"I guess that works," Issei said, looking at Kiryuu. "Welcome to the programming club, then, fukubuchou-san. No Internet porn, though, I'm afraid."

"I'm sure I'll survive," Kiryuu replied dryly. The two of them shared a good-natured smirk.

"Well. Since that's settled…" Sona shifted so that she was facing the others. Tsubaki sat next to her, assuming the position of second-in-command even now. The high-class Devil reached out with one hand, and the same finely-crafted box that Issei had seen her use last night appeared. She opened it, extracting a pawn piece. "This is an Evil Piece. These are what we use to reincarnate humans, and other sentient beings, into Devils."

"So there's a kind of chess theme to this?" Kiryuu asked curiously. "How far does that extend?"

Sona inclined her head to Kiryuu, apparently pleased by her insight. "I'm glad you asked that. All Devils have, in comparison to humans, greater strength and resilience, as well as a much longer lifespan, but there is a lot that's determined by the piece you're reincarnated as." She held up the pawn piece. "The Pawn is the basic unit of measurement for a reincarnated Devil's power. Don't be fooled by the name; the Pawn is neither expendable nor impotent, at least not in a properly-run peerage."

"Peerage?" Murayama asked, leaning forward.

"High-class Devils, those who have worked their way up in rank or were born into the nobility, receive sets of Evil Pieces to create their own groups of servants," Sona explained. "These are called peerages, and are modeled on chess sets, with the high-class Devil as King and master of the peerage."

"You mentioned working our way up in rank," Issei said, remembering Sona's words from the previous night.

"Yes. Reincarnated Devils can earn promotion in Underworld society. Once you become a high-class Devil, you receive the right to form your own peerage, and if you achieve ultimate-class Devil rank, you can even receive a grant of land to develop as you see fit." Sona paused, letting that sink in, then added. "I'd like to come back to rank advancement. We should cover the functions of the Evil Pieces…" She looked up as the doorbell rang. "That should be the pizza. Ruruko, if you would, please… my pocketbook is on my computer desk."

Ruruko nodded, and trotted off to fetch the food. As she did, Sona continued, "As I was saying, the Pawn is an important piece because it has the power of Promotion. That is, a Pawn can assume the traits and powers of any other piece while in enemy territory. This works both in combat, and in the Rating Games that we use to increase our social standing in Devil society. I'll come back to those, as well." She looked over at Kiryuu. "Both Saji-kun and Ruruko are Pawns, Kiryuu-san. You'll be reincarnated as one as well."

Kiryuu quirked an eyebrow. "How much will that affect my ability to learn magic?"

"None at all," Sona assured her. "If it were possible, I'd prefer to reincarnate you as a Bishop, who are magic specialists, but Momo and Reya are already my Bishops. But there will be nothing stopping you from learning and gaining proficiency in magic, particularly as you grow in power."

Kiryuu nodded, looking mostly mollified.

Sona replaced the pawn piece, and retrieved a knight, holding it aloft. "Murayama-san, I intend to make you a Knight, like Tomoe." They have exceptional reflexes and precision, traits that lend themselves to weapon users. A Knight's intrinsic defense is low, though. Generally, you'll have to rely upon your mobility to survive in combat."

"I see," Murayama murmured. She lapsed into silence, clearly contemplating how to best make use of those traits. Not for the first time, Issei couldn't help finding that look of thoughtful concentration cute. Not for the first time, he tried to strangle the thought.

Sona was speaking again. "Rooks are… I think the term from modern gaming is 'tanks.' They have exceptional strength and stamina, making them excellent close-in fighters, but they also have low mobility." She gestured first at Tsubasa, then at Issei. "Tsubasa is a Rook, and I reincarnated Issei-kun as one last night."

Yura caught Issei's eye, and smiled, holding out a fist. Issei had to shake his head and smile in return, reaching out and tapping his knuckles against hers.

Sona smirked good-naturedly at the brief byplay, and continued. "As I said, Reya and Momo are my Bishops. They're magic specialists with exceptional spellcasting ability, but also with low defense." She shot an approving look at Kusaka. "Not that the latter keeps them from having courage in the crunch, as Reya demonstrated last night."

Kusaka pinked slightly under the praise. Issei gave her a grin of thanks as well.

Sona continued speaking, looking amused at the byplay between her Rooks. "Finally, Tsubaki is my Queen." The Student Council vice-president bowed, the effect slightly ruined by the ramune bottle in one hand. "The Queen is typically the peerage's second-in-command, and is also the most powerful and balanced piece, having all the advantages of the Knight, Bishop, and Rook, with none of the drawbacks."

"I assume that's why there's only one Queen per peerage," Kiryuu commented dryly.

"Probably," Sona answered in a matching tone. "Each peerage has a total of eight pawn pieces, two knights, two bishops, two rooks, and one queen."

Ruruko chose that moment to return, with a stack of paper plates and several pizza and appetizer boxes. "Lunch is served," she said brightly.

"I think that's a good place to take a break and process," Sona said, opening to top box. For a while the only sounds in the apartment were those of high-school students eating lunch. Issei took the opportunity to sit next to Sona, and she seemed to brighten considerably from his proximity.

As conversation began to pick up again, Murayama looked thoughtful. "Which came first, this or chess?"

"Chess, I believe," Sona told her. "The Evil Pieces system has been in place for at least six centuries, perhaps longer." She actually looked slightly abashed at not having the answer immediately at hand. "I'm not precisely sure _how_ long, honestly."

"It's okay," Issei said hurriedly. "You said you wanted to come back to advancing in rank?"

"Actually, yes. Newly reincarnated Devils start out as low-class Devils… usually. The exceptionally powerful might start out as middle-class, although even that is very rare. Eventually, all of you will qualify to test for middle-class Devils; it's my goal to have all of you in the middle class within the next five years."

"So much for the seniority system," Kiryuu commented.

Sona gave her a mildly exasperated look. "That's enough for the moment, please." Kiryuu lapsed back into silence, looking slightly chastened. (It was an oddly appealing look on her, and once again Issei mentally smacked himself.)

Sona was continuing. "That said, Kiryuu-san isn't necessarily _wrong_. There's an advantage to that, too, though; it means that exceptional Devils can be rewarded for their achievements, instead of being stuck in a holding pattern. The middle-class examinations are threefold: an essay on themes of aim and greed, an exam on Underworld government and history, and one-on-one combat. The testing is required, although once given, the permission to test lasts indefinitely. There are also examples of portions of the testing being waived because of exceptional deeds."

She took a sip of her coffee before continuing. "Qualifying for middle-class doesn't offer much in the way of perks, granted. But it's a solid indicator of your increased power and status in Devil society, and many instructors in advanced techniques or magics won't teach someone who hasn't made middle-class at least."

"And you said that once we make high-class, we can form our own peerages. Does that make us Devil nobility, then?" Murayama asked curiously.

"Unofficially, at least. The 'true' nobility are the members of the 72 Pillars, the original Devil houses," Sona said. "Pure-breed Devils frequently harbor prejudice towards the reincarnated, but by the time one reaches high-class, they've demonstrated themselves someone not to take lightly." She paused, catching Issei's eye. "I'll come back to peerages again at a later time, when more of you are closer to qualifying for one."

Issei nodded slowly, his cheeks pinking slightly. Both of them knew he was remembering the conversation they'd had about them the prior night.

-xxxx-

"I'd like to talk a little about peerages. More specifically, about _yours_ , when you have one," Sona had said quietly. He'd taken the Mutation Rook piece several minutes before, and they had resumed lying on the bed in each others' arms. They were between kisses, and from the way they were lazily touching each other, the next one probably wasn't far off.

He had blinked at the apparent non sequitur. "Now I _know_ that's a ways off."

"Don't underestimate yourself," she'd said, a faint note of exasperation entering her voice. "Didn't I just tell you that the Mutation Piece marks you as special? So does the Sacred Gear you have. And you're… _you_. That makes you special." She had blushed as she said that last part, and cleared her throat as if to reassert her rationality. "I'm certain you'll advance quickly. Especially if you have patronage."

Issei had shifted around to give her another surprised look. "Like your sister? Kusaka said that she's high up in the Devil government…"

"Yes, she is." Sona's smile had been a little wry. Issei had long since learned that was her preferred style of humor, and thought it suited her perfectly. "You'll be meeting her soon, if I know her." She had seemed a touch… embarrassed about her sister. _Kusaka said she's an eccentric. But if she's anything like Sona, I'm sure I'll like her,_ Issei mused.

"Possibly her, yes," his fiancee had continued. "Or some of her colleagues, whose work is actually similar to yours. You'll have a chance to meet them soon, too. But we're wandering off-topic." Her eyes had shifted back towards Issei, and peered at him intently. "Peerages can take many different forms: circles of friends, surrogate families… harems."

Issei had flushed and squirmed. _That_ was a word that hadn't come out of his mouth for most of a school year. Really, it had half-regressed into subconscious fantasy at this point.

"Sona-chan, if it's a choice between you and… _that_ , you'll win every time. You do know that, right?" He had been absolutely sincere. So was the "oh god am I dreaming please tell me I'm not" hope he was trying, and failing, to suppress.

"I know, Issei-kun." His shoulders had slumped in relief at her reassuring, level tone. "But I'm not asking you to choose. In fact, I'm quite willing to let you have one, provided you follow some basic guidelines."

His eyes had widened again, and flicked around the bedroom, as if looking for eavesdroppers… or a studio audience.

"I promise, no hidden cameras," she'd said dryly.

Issei had chuckled awkwardly. "I'll take your word on that…" He'd cleared his throat. "That's reasonable. You, ah, you sound like you've been thinking about this awhile."

"I've had time to consider this." Sona's voice had been faintly amused. "Harems are common in Devil society. Sometimes, it's even female Devils with harems of beautiful men, though those are rather less common. But yes, this is something I was thinking about even before I came to Kuoh. The first requirement is that the women have to be people both of us can like and respect. I refuse to share you with a bimbo or someone like that Fallen Angel, and I don't think you'd want someone like that, anyway."

"You're right," Issei had told her, shuddering at the thought of someone like Raynare. And while he'd met many a gorgeous airhead, the thought of having to try to hold a conversation with one made him grimace. "What are the others?"

"There's one more: you have to take responsibility for them."

"'Take responsibility for…' Does Devil society allow for that?" Issei had said in pleased surprise.

Sona had nodded. "Polygamy is legal and accepted under Devil law, although polygyny is the more common form by far. Male high-class Devils frequently have several junior wives in addition to the primary wife." She'd gave him a playfully old-fashioned look, one that actually made him tremble in mild arousal. "I'm not relinquishing _that_ position, though."

Issei had blinked, considering that and trying not to think with his lower head. His answer had been inevitable, though. Not like he really thought it would come up in the near future, though… "I think I can live with that. You're not asking anything unreasonable." He'd rubbed the back of his head, grinning self-effacingly. "I'm pretty sure it's not gonna be relevant anytime soon, though!"

Sona had given her fiance a fond, knowing smile. Not for the first time, Issei had the feeling that she knew something he didn't. But, again, he hadn't gotten the suspicion that something malicious was being withheld. In fact, it had felt more like she'd bought a surprise birthday gift she just _knew_ he was going to love. "You might be surprised," she had said dryly, and then resumed kissing him.

-xxxx-

"...think that covers most of the basics." Issei realized, with a start, that Sona was wrapping up her spiel. She paused long enough to give him another faint smile, as if she'd known exactly what he was mulling over. (Honestly, he wasn't prepared to believe she _wasn't_ capable of reading minds.) Her attention shifted back to Kiryuu and Murayama. "Are you two ready?"

The two girls exchanged glances, and nodded. Kiryuu spoke first. "Let's do it."

"Very well. We'll start with you, Kiryuu-san." Sona looked at Tsubaki, who pulled a cushion off the couch and settled it on the floor in front of her. "Lay down, please, and rest your head on the pillow…"

"I didn't get a pillow last night," Issei joked.

"That's because I was virtually sitting in your lap," Sona replied with a dry laugh. (Saji grumbled softly to himself, while Murayama suddenly found the window fascinating.) Kiryuu chuckled, and did as Sona asked, lying down and closing her eyes.

Sona placed a pawn piece on her chest. When nothing happened, she added a second, and then a third. _That_ finally pulled the trigger, and the pieces began to glow and sink into her chest. As they did, Sona began to recite the same chant she'd used for Issei. "Arise. I bid you, cast off the mortal stuff of Man, and don the infernal skin of a Devil. I bind you, body and soul, to my heart and service. Arise, Kiryuu Aika, Pawn of Three in service to the House of Sitri." The glow faded as the pieces fully merged with Kiryuu, and she sat up, rubbing the back of her head.

"Welcome to my peerage, Kiryuu-san," Sona said. Issei heard the warmth in her voice, the genuine pleasure at welcoming someone else to her pseudo-family.

"Heh. Thanks, kaichou," Kiryuu said, smiling. "Whoa." She scooted away from the pillow, and waved Murayama over. "C'mon, Murayama-chan. I don't feel any different."

"That doesn't actually reassure me, you know," Murayama shot back dryly. She crawled over and laid her head down on the cushion, though, closing her eyes and folding her hands on her stomach. There was something almost tranquil about her as she did that, and Issei had trouble tearing his eyes away.

Sona placed her remaining knight piece on Murayama's chest, and this time it started merging without trouble. Sona repeated the same recitation that she'd used with Kiryuu, only replacing the new Pawn's name with Murayama's, and the "Pawn" with "Knight." A moment after the glow faded, Murayama sat up, patting herself down as if looking for obvious changes.

"There won't be any obvious physical changes, except for the wings," Sona told them.

The two girls looked at her sharply. "We get _wings_?!" they chorused in pleased surprise, and turned their eyes towards Issei. He held up his hands. "Hey, I didn't know either..."

"Yes, all of you get wings." Sona said, sounding amused.

* * *

"And that's that for today," Issei declared, closing and locking the front door. It had been a long, busy day, capped off by an experimental flight by the entire peerage around Kuoh's environs. (She'd been surprised at how pleased Aika and Kaori were to be able to fly. Issei had been, too, although his flying had been somewhat more awkward. It was almost as if he had learned to fly a _different_ way, and was having to unlearn old habits.)

Issei and Sona were the only ones left in Sona's apartment now. The cleaning was done, and the remainder of the night was for the two of them, something Sona had made a point of arranging.

"Yes, it is. Have a seat." Sona patted the spot on the couch next her. Issei complied with a soft smile. (He was quite handsome when he smiled like that, Sona thought. She was pleased that it was hers alone, for the time being.) She smiled back, scooting closer and leaning her head against his shoulder. Her right hand shot out, taking hold of his left hand and squeezing it.

As a daughter of the House of Sitri, a Devil family associated with love and desire, Sona knew all too well the urge to drown oneself in physical affection. She knew that was the reason her sister was so tactile, and she also knew that was why she had taken such care to cultivate a stern demeanor and chaste reputation. Now that she finally had Issei, she was making up for lost time… and trying to keep herself from running _too_ amuck.

(She probably could be trying _harder_ , but she didn't much care to. It was customary for Devil couples who were betrothed to act like spouses in all but name, as long as pregnancy didn't happen before the exchange of vows. Rias and Riser were the exception, and Sona joined her friend in hoping that he somehow got himself eaten by Great Red or something.)

"I never thought I'd like holding hands so much," he said softly.

"Neither had I," Sona replied, half-closing her eyes as she leaned against him. "It's still okay for you to stay the night?"

"Yeah," Issei said with a laugh. "I almost think tou-san and kaa-san like you better than me!"

"I prefer to think of it as them welcoming me to the family," she replied archly, and that made both of them snicker. His parents really were being amazing accommodating about them staying the night with each other. That made Sona even more determined to stay on their good side.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, he asked, "Was there something besides the snuggling? Because I'm good with that, but…"

"No, I suppose we should get that out of the way," Sona sighed, and sat up. Her hand was still gripping his, though. "I'd like to talk about your advancement in rank."

He looked at her quizzically. "It's only been twenty-four hours… or d'you mean talking about how to speed it up?"

"That, and how it affects when you and I can actually marry," Sona corrected.

"If we have to wait until I make high-class, it might be awhile," Issei mused, looking slightly guilty.

"Don't underestimate yourself," Sona told him. Issei tended to be self-effacing, particularly when operating outside his field of expertise. In many ways, that was an admirable trait. It also meant, however, that his ability to accurately gauge his self-worth was untrustworthy. In Devil society, especially at low rank, that could be deadly. Building him up was an ongoing process. "Middle-class would probably be sufficient, although my parents would probably be happier if you made high-class first."

"How long does it usually take?" Issei asked.

"The timeframe I quoted everyone is typical, although it's on the… efficient side of typical," she replied. "I have reason to believe, however, that circumstances will speed things along." At Issei's questioning look, she added, "Because of what happened with that Fallen Angel that assaulted you, I suspect that we may be entering a new period of conflict."

Issei looked slightly apprehensive. "That doesn't sound good."

"It's not," Sona agreed. "But it does have advantages. Even humans have sayings about promotions coming quickly during wartime. Between that, and your work on the app, and what might stem from that, I suspect you'll make middle-class by the time you graduate. Maybe before. The rest of the peerage won't be far behind, if at all."

"That's less than eighteen months away," Issei said slowly, looking surprised.

"I've been known to be wrong," Sona admitted. "But I don't think I'm _that_ far off."

"All right, I'll trust you," her fiance said. His smile turned resolute. "I'll do my best for you, Sona-chan, you and everyone else. I'll make you proud."

"I know you will," Sona assured him, and meant it. He was smart and resourceful and kind. Between the Rook piece and his Sacred Gear, she was certain he'd do well. She kissed him again; this one had the full weight of her desire behind it. "Let's go to bed."

* * *

Sunday:

"That's a good start, Hyoudou-kun," Yura said cheerily.

"No… it's not…" Issei panted, flopping on the grass. He had spent the entire morning being pushed around the field by the other Rook. He had managed to block most of her strikes, but that _still_ meant he had spent hours stumbling backwards like an idiot. (Although his arms and legs ached way less than he had been expecting.) Murayama was adapting to being a Knight much better; she was genuinely trading blows with Meguri as they sparred. He sat up as he caught his breath, and smiled wryly. "And you can call me 'Ise' if you want, since we're teammates and all now. Rook solidarity, right?"

"Rook solidarity," Yura agreed with a grin, sitting next to him. "And it's 'Tsubasa,' then." She wore blue jeans and a grey T-shirt today, her hair clubbed back into a stubby ponytail. It was a cute look, and Issei wasn't sure what to do with that thought after Friday's conversation with Sona. "Anyway, when you consider that you've been a programmer first and foremost, you're doing well. Don't beat yourself up too badly. That's what the training is for," she added with a wink.

"Indeed." Both of them looked up as Sona approached. T-shirts and jeans seemed to be the uniform of the day, and she was no exception. (Although she seemed to have pilfered one of _his_ shirts again, this time his blue "If coding, headphones focus" T-shirt. It wasn't something he could bring himself to get mad about.) And, like Tsubasa, Sona wore them well. "Tsubasa is here to show you the ropes, Issei-kun. Everyone starts from square one, so no self-recrimination."

"You know me too well, Sona-c - ah, Sona-san," Issei said, rubbing the back of his head.

"He's doing decently at blocking attacks," Tsubasa reported. "It'll just take practice to develop the rest."

"I'm a little surprised you're not dragging me to a dojo for this," Issei commented curiously. "Or putting me in a gi."

"Oh, I have that in mind eventually," Tsubasa told him. "But I think, and kaichou agreed, that we need to get you up to speed as fast as possible, so right now we're going Krav Maga, which means you're learning moves picked for pure effectiveness." She indicated his clothes. "And I think it's best to learn to fight when wearing what you're likeliest to _end up_ fighting in. Stray Devils won't wait for you to change into a gi, after all." She cocked her head, looking at Issei. "How do the afternoons work for you, for training?"

Issei started to answer, but Sona held up a hand. "That should be fine, Tsubasa. I'd like to talk to Murayama-san about something first, though." She waved the kendoka over.

Murayama trotted over, shinai still in hand. "Kaichou?" She nodded at Issei and Yu - _No, I guess it's "Tsubasa-san," now,_ Issei mused. (Because of that musing, he missed the faint reddening of Murayama's face as she glanced at Issei, although neither Tsubasa nor Sona missed it.)

"Mura - actually, I like to encourage a certain degree of informality among my peerage. Are you all right with being called 'Kaori?'" Sona asked.

"Sure, I guess," Murayama said. She looked more than a little ambivalent about it, though.

"Kaori, I think there'd be value to you and Issei-kun training against each other, since it's not uncommon for Knights and Rooks to encounter each other during Rating Games," Sona explained.

Murayama nodded. "Sure, we can do that now, if Hyoudou and Yura are done sparring."

"Yes, but I was thinking on a more regular basis," the King said. Something in her tone snagged Issei's attention, and clearly did the same for Murayama. ( _Wait, do I call her "Kaori" now, too?_ the new Rook wondered. _That's an awkward question to ask..._ ) She drew a deep breath, and continued, "I'd like Issei-kun to join the kendo club."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Murayama said, at the same time that Issei blurted out "That'll get me _killed_!" The two of them exchanged looks, clearly surprised to be expressing the same basic idea. Issei gave her a "go-ahead" gesture, and Murayama spoke next. "Kaichou - a lot of the girls who refuse to believe Hyoudou's changed are _in_ the kendo club. He's not wrong… well, he can probably survive them deciding to make a moving target out of him now, but they're not going to be happy about him joining."

"You believe he's changed, don't you?" Sona said, arching an eyebrow.

"Well… yeah." Murayama's tone attached an unspoken "duh" to the end of the sentence. "But you didn't see the reactions to his idiot friends' rumor on Friday. Your announcement about ignoring rumors helped some, but there's still a lot of people who can't or won't believe Hyoudou's cleaned up his act. I know my best friend's one of them."

"See, Sona-san, it's probably not a good idea," Issei pointed out. "And asking Murayama to vouch for me would probably get her in trouble with the other girls. Let's not do that to her. Sparring after school would probably be enough…" Part of him was feeling oddly happy to hear that Murayama believed he'd changed. Making that part of him shut up was more difficult than usual.

Sona considered that. "What if I talk to Yaegashi-san directly, then? That'll leave you out of the official equation, Kaori. If necessary, you can 'volunteer' to be his minder during club activities."

"I… guess that would work," Murayama admitted. "That might give them time to see he's changed, if I'm acting as a buffer…" She looked at Issei, and he couldn't read her expression. "You good with that?"

"Yeah, if you're sure about it," he replied. "Ah, who's thirsty? I'm thirsty…"

"If you're offering, I'll take one of the bottled waters," Sona said. "I'd like to talk to them about training schedules."

"One of the lime energy drinks, or bottled water if that's out," Tsubasa chimed in. "Kaori?"

"Hmm? Um, an energy drink is fine," Kaori said.

"I'll be right back, then," Issei told them, and he jogged over to the bench where Tsubasa had set the drinks cooler. He fished out two bottled waters and two lime energy drinks, trying not to watch Sona's conversation curiously. After a minute or two, he trotted back over to the three girls, carefully balancing the stack of drinks.

"Thank you, Issei-kun." Sona accepted her drink gratefully, and then squeezed his hand after he finished distributing the rest. Even that small gesture of affection, in front of the rest of the peerage, made his face flush.

"So it looks like we have a lesson plan in mind," Tsubasa said cheerily. "You and I work on your hand-to-hand every afternoon you don't have kendo club. This includes weekends, although kaichou's pretty adamant about leaving your mornings untouched. Can't imagine why," she added with a wink.

"Tsubasa, you needn't editorialize, thank you," Sona said dryly.

"Yes, kaichou." The blue-haired Rook didn't sound all that contrite. "I think I'm gonna make sure Tomoe doesn't forget how to defend against an empty hand. Ise-chan, why don't you and Kaori go head to head?" She patted her fellow Rook on the shoulder and headed off.

"'Ise- _chan?!_ ' I never said _that_ was - " Issei threw up his hands in exasperation.

"See, Issei-kun? You're getting along with the rest of the peerage already…" Issei looked at Sona, amazed and amused at her playful, teasing tone. Murayama was clearly thunderstruck.

"Heh, yeah, I guess so…" There really wasn't much else he could say to that. He turned back towards Murayama. "We can try sparring now, if you if like, Murayama."

"Sure," the kendoka said. "You can call me 'Kaori' too, I guess. Teammates and all, right?"

"Right, Mura - Kaori-san. Call me 'Ise,' then." Issei darted a quick, questioning look at Sona, who just nodded. He felt such a weird, profound mix of embarrassment and happiness that he actually started looking forward to the sparring. At least having something to hit would burn off this energy in a less embarrassing way… "Wait! Not 'Ise-chan,' though!"

Murayama considered that, then smirked. "That depends on how well you can block."

"Oh, _bring_ it!" Issei shot back, a smirk of his own rising in reply. This kind of banter felt safer than contemplating how cute a lively Murayama was. "Let's see how long your shinai lasts before I snap it in half!"

-xxxx-

"Welp." Issei stared down at the snapped shinai in his hands. Or rather, the mass of splintered and shattered wood that _had_ been a shinai.

"Yep." Murayama stared at the mass of bruises she'd left along his arms and shoulders, under the shredded remains of his T-shirt. They were healing way faster than a normal human's wounds would, but still.

"Truce?" he said.

"Truce," she agreed readily, then added, "Ise."

He slumped in relief.

"Chan."

"Oh, we're _going_ again, then - "

"...what did I miss?" Tsubasa asked as she walked up.

"A Rook and a Knight canceling each other's advantages out," Sona remarked, watching them with an odd kind of satisfaction.

"And it took them how long?"

"About thirty seconds."

"Hmm." Tsubasa's expression became mischievous, and she called out, "Don't go easy on him this time, Kaori!"

"You're next, _Basa-_ chan!" Issei called out. If it were possible for someone to sound simultaneously nettled and amused, his voice would be the textbook example.

Tsubasa didn't look dismayed at the familiar nickname. In fact, she looked almost delighted. "If you think that'll throw me off my game, you're dreaming!"

Sona shook her head in amusement as she watched the byplay. Issei seemed to be fitting in nicely. So far, so good…

* * *

Monday:

"Hey, I had a thought," Issei said, his tone a little bashful. The two of them were standing in his room, getting ready to leave for school.

Sona looked at him as she settled the half-cape around her shoulders. "What is it?"

"Well… since I don't have a ring to give you, at least not yet… I'd kinda like to give you _something_ to show that we're, y'know, together. To show it in public." His cheeks were cherry-red.

Sona's expression softened. "Issei-kun, that's sweet. What did you have in mind?"

"Well…" Issei grabbed his uniform blazer off the chair it was draped over, and settled it around her shoulders. "I know it's a little silly."

She fingered the blazer's lapel, biting her lip as she considered it.. "I do like the idea. But that puts your uniform out of kilter for school regs, and…"

"Yeah, I guess it does," he admitted, pulling it off her shoulders and putting it on instead. "And there's the other thing."

"Yes." Sona made a moue of irritation. Seeing her pout was incredibly cute, and he suspected it would be incredibly unwise to point that out. "I do want the two of us to go public, Issei-kun. I really do. But right now, after what your friends did on Friday…"

"Yeah. They really did a number on us." Issei could _strangle_ Matsuda and Motohama right now. "It's okay, Sona-chan. I can wait as long as we need to. I'm good with that." He was mostly telling the truth.

Sona gave him a searching look, and he was sure she knew what he was thinking. She reached out, squeezing his hand. "Let's try dinner again on Thursday. A date night. There's nothing stopping us from being on a _date_ in public…"

"I'll take it." Issei smiled and squeezed back.

-xxxx-

"Hyoudou!" Issei looked up at the sound of his name, and groaned inwardly as he saw the speaker approach.

Amanogawa Kouki was generally considered the "perfect man" of the high-school division's third year. He was handsome, gifted both academically and athletically, charismatic, and genuinely devoted to justice. Those traits tended to overshadow the fact that he was also incredibly self-righteous and naive, and tended to equate the majority opinion with "right." (And, since he had always been popular, his idea of right _always_ matched the majority opinion.) He was the kind of person who would tell a bullying victim that they'd brought it upon themselves for being "weird."

(It was true that he'd never do so to be mean. Even Issei had to admit that he was free of conscious malice. But his conviction that the majority opinion was always right would always dishearten the victim further, and all too many of his hangers-on _were_ assholes who would grind down the victim when Amanogawa wasn't looking.)

Around him were a half-dozen other third-year students, most of them "cool kids" who would parrot whatever he said. The only one that didn't apply to was Yaegashi Shizuku, the kendo club captain, who was usually trying (and failing) to ride herd on her childhood friend. It seemed like a thankless job to Issei.

It looked like Amanogawa had heard about the rumor, and had drank the fucking Kool-Aid. This was _not_ going to be pleasant.

It was probably just as well that Sona had gone in early this morning.

"Can I help you, sempai?" Issei asked resignedly.

"I want to know what you think you're doing with those girls on the Student Council," Amanogawa said, jutting his chin out. He probably thought he was looking resolute and heroic. Personally, Issei though he looked like a dumbass, but he was probably in the minority.

"Programming their computers, sempai," he said.

Amanogawa scowled, clearly seeing himself as the Hero Of Justice cowing the villain into submission. "I don't like the rumors I've been hearing about you lately, Hyoudou."

"They're just rumors, sempai," Issei insisted. It was probably a lost cause, but Sona would be angry if he decked Amanogawa. "I believe the Council issued a notice about ignoring malicious rumors on Friday."

"Even so," Amanogawa said. "With your reputation, I'm afraid I have to take those rumors seriously."

"The source is my idiot friends, and you're still taking it seriously?" Issei couldn't contain his exasperation at that.

"It doesn't matter what the source is," Amanogawa said patiently, as if speaking to a small child. "Your reputation is the problem. I just can't accept your word that nothing's happening."

"So ask Sona-kaichou, or someone else on the Council," Issei replied, his voice tight with leashed annoyance. "Can I go now?"

He turned to leave, but jerked to a stop as Amanogawa grabbed his arm. "...what?"

"I want you to resign from your Council position, and never talk with any of those girls again," Amanogawa said with complete seriousness. "That's the only way I'll know for sure you're not doing anything to them."

"Kouki-kun!" Yaegashi said, exasperated.

"It's the only way, Shizuku," Amanogawa said, and again, his tone was like a teacher lecturing an especially slow student. "If he wants to demonstrate he's turning over a new leaf, the burden's on him."

"You wouldn't believe me, anyway," Issei said snippily. "You're being pretty insulting to Yaegashi-sempai, too."

"That's your problem, not mine," Amanogawa said, his tone blithe with lack of sympathy for Issei's situation. "Like I said, the burden's on you to change our minds. If it's an uphill climb for you, well, no one said we had to make it easy." He didn't even acknowledge his treatment of Shizuku; Issei's comment about it seemed to have flown right over his head.

"You don't get to dictate terms to me, sempai," Issei said, his tone ever tighter now. "And the answer is _no_." He shook off Amanogawa's arm and started to walk away again.

Amanogawa grabbed his arm again, yanking him back.

"Kouki-kun!" Yaegashi snapped. She grabbed Amanogawa's wrist, and pried his fingers free of Issei's arm. "Hyoudou-kun, why don't you - "

"Take your hand off my arm, sempai," Issei said in a quiet voice, his entire body taut. The hand of his free arm clenched into a fist, a sign that Yaegashi and several other onlookers caught.

Amanogawa, predictably, did _not_ catch it. "Don't blow me off, Hyoudou!" he declared, clearly expecting the sheer force of his moral authority to overpower Issei. "I'll go to the principal, I'll have you expelled! Those poor girls won't have to put up with you a minute longer than - "

"All right, that's enough." Sona stepped in. Issei hadn't even seen her appear, and from the looks on the faces around him, apparently neither had anyone else. She speared Amanogawa with a harsh look. "You'll back off now, Amanogawa-san." Her tone was level, but cool.

"But - Sona-san!" Amanogawa looked back and forth between Issei and Sona. The idea that she _wasn't_ treating Issei like dirt was something that he couldn't begin to process. "How can you defend him?! He's obviously a - "

" _Issei-kun_ has repeatedly proven himself to my satisfaction, and that of the rest of the Council," Sona said, emphasizing his name, and her tone abruptly plummeted from cool to frigid. Her gaze sharpened, regarding Amanogawa with naked contempt. "Or do you think we're such helpless damsels that we need _you_ to safeguard us?"

Amanogawa paled, stumbling over his words. The implication was clear: he really _did_ think just that. The idea that the girls on the Student Council might be able to take care of themselves hadn't even occurred to him. Even now, he was clearly having trouble parsing Sona's words.

Sona sniffed dismissively, and turned back towards Issei. "Issei-kun, what we talked about earlier…"

"Are you sure?" Issei said softly. He wanted to do it, but he didn't want to Sona to agree to do it in a fit of pique.

"I am," she told him, the faintest of smiles crossing her lips as she looked him in the eye. "I promise. You've convinced me."

"Whatever you want, Sona-san," he answered, doffing his uniform jacket. He settled it around her shoulders like a faux cape, and took a minute to admire how she looked. "I like it."

"So do I," Sona agreed, and looked unflinchingly at Amanogawa and his hangers-on. When she spoke, the declaration might as well have come echoing down from the sky. "Issei-kun is my _fiance_ , Amanogawa-san. I'll thank you not to hassle him."

 _And here we go,_ Issei thought wryly as he saw Amanogawa verge on apoplexy. His followers were stunned into silence. Only Yaegashi had retained her composure. In fact, he could swear she was unsurprised, maybe even approving.

The cat was, well and truly, out of the bag. But if that was what it took to hold hands with Sona Sitri in public… run, kitty, run.

"Shall we, Sona-san?" he said, politely indicating the doorway. He offered his hand to her.

"Let's," Sona agreed, inclining her head in thanks. She took his hand, interlacing her fingers with his, and they entered the main building with their heads held high.

-xxxx-

The grapevine went _berserk_.

* * *

"You've been holding out on us, Ise!" Matsuda complained as the newly-engaged Rook sat down.

"Are you really surprised, after Friday?" Issei retorted. His voice was calm, but it was a brittle kind of calm, and testiness wasn't very far beneath the surface.

"We wouldn't have done that if you'd told us you were tapping the kaichou," Motohama said, as if that were an obvious conclusion.

"Okay, man, that's… just… don't talk like that about Sona-ch… Sona-san," Issei said. His calm was showing cracks now, and he was vaguely aware of Kusaka, Kiryuu, and Murayama watching him with quiet concern. ( _No, they're Reya-san, Aika-san, and Kaori-san_ _now,_ a part of his mind reminded him.)

"Whatever, man," Matsuda said dismissively. "I don't really get the appeal, though. She's _boring_. A real cold librarian type, isn't she?"

"She's _not_." Issei's tone was clearly frayed now. (Unnoticed by him, Kaori and Reya had both subtly tensed to move in case something happened. Katase _did_ notice this, but was perplexed by it.) "And I told you, don't talk like that about her."

"Or _what_?" the two teenagers said pugnaciously.

"Or I'll toss you two out the window." There was more irritation than calm in Issei's voice now. His fingers were suddenly white-knuckled on the desk's edges.

Matsuda laughed, either oblivious towards or disbelieving of Issei's body language. "I'd like to see you try - "

" _Okay_ , that's enough," Reya interjected quickly, her voice atypically loud and sharp. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you two?" She snorted in annoyance.

"Really," Aika added, shaking her head. " _Real_ friends would be happy he'd found a girl."

"A _real_ friend wouldn't _get_ a girlfriend while his buds are still flying solo!" Matsuda shot back.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Reya said, her tone withering. "And I was _here_ Friday when you two confessed to starting that rumor."

"You two stay out of this," Motohama protested. "What do you care, anyway?"

"We care because you two won't frigging shut up about it," Aika replied scornfully. "It's _stupid_. What, you expect him to dump the kaichou just to make you two feel better?"

" _Yes_!" Matsuda and Motohama chorused, absolutely no irony in their expressions.

Issei rolled his eyes heavenward and spread his hands in exasperation. "Yeah, that ain't happening," he replied in a snippy tone.

"Can't believe they actually expected it to," Reya said dryly, and she shook her head as well.

"What's it matter to you two?" Matsuda demanded.

"They're just tired of seeing you give him static when he's trying to clean up his act," Kaori interjected, and she sounded just as annoyed as the other two girls. "So am I. It's getting annoying."

"Kaori, you don't actually believe it, do you?" Katase asked incredulously.

"Where's the harm in taking the chance?" the brunette countered with a shrug. "We can always go back to beating on him later if he turns out to be faking."

Katase looked like she wanted to debate that, but couldn't. She still gave Issei a distrustful look.

Neither she, nor the Perverted Duo, noticed the grateful looks Issei gave his new peerage-mates, or the encouraging smiles they gave him in return.

-xxxx-

"Certainly. I'll get the paperwork taken care of before lunch. The next club meeting will be this afternoon." Shizuku looked at Issei. "Will you be able to join us today, Hyoudou-kun?"

"Yes, sempai - I mean, buchou," Issei said immediately.

Shizuku nodded, and then her eyes sharpened slightly. "Both Sona-san and Murayama-san vouch for you. I'm inclined to take them at their shared word, but I still want to make sure that you understand the ramifications."

"I do, buchou," Issei said, his gaze level. "I'll live up to their trust."

"Then there should be no problem," the kendo club captain said with a nod. She then paused, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I'd also like to talk to you about Ko… about Amanogawa-kun."

It was Issei's turn to give _Shizuku_ a sharp look. "What about him? I'm not gonna apologize. I didn't do anything."

"No. I was there, and I agree," Shizuku said, and her discomfort became even more apparent. "I wish I could say that he'd sent an apology with me. So, I suppose I'm apologizing on his behalf."

"Um, thanks, I guess," Issei said, looking guilty himself. "I don't blame _you_ , buchou."

"I'm glad to hear that," Shizuku told him. "It's no excuse, but he's still hurting from what happened with Shirasaki-san."

"Well, Shirasaki-sempai and Nagumo-sempai were friends of mine too, but I'm not taking it out on other people," Issei replied. His response came out more sharply than he'd intended, judging from his expression, and he immediately apologized.

Shizuku raised a hand. "It's all right. Now, I'm sorry, but can I have a private word with Shitori-san?"

Issei glanced at Sona, who nodded. "Sure. I'll talk to Kaori-san about equipment, I guess." He glanced between the two girls, and left the room.

"What is it?" Sona asked.

"I'm going to advise you right now: Kyoto is interested in your relationship with Hyoudou-kun. They'll take an ill view of him coming to harm while in your service, or as a result of your romance. I think you should keep that in mind at all times."

"Is that the official word of the Kyoto Faction observer in Kuoh?" Sona asked. Her expression was one of mild surprise.

Shizuku shook her head. "For now, just consider it a friendly suggestion. The Hyoudous have friends in Kyoto. There's a vested interest in seeing nothing happen to their son."

"And that makes me curious," Sona said, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Issei-kun and I had breakfast with them Saturday, and I concentrated on them for the first time. They're not typical humans…" She trailed off, the unspoken question clear.

"I'm not really at liberty to elaborate," Shizuku said, apparently unmoved by Sona's curiosity. "As long as Hyoudou-kun is treated well, there'll be no problems."

"I have every intention of treating him well, Yaegashi-san. He's my fiance, and I love him. But I appreciate the heads up."

"Then things should be fine," Shizuku told her. "I'll file the paperwork for Hyoudou-kun, then." She rose to leave.

"Wait. One thing," Sona said unexpectedly, causing the youkai to look at her in surprise. "Do you know anything about Grigori declaring open season on Sacred Gear bearers?"

"No." Shizuku looked perplexed at the thought. "I'd think that exceptionally uncharacteristic of Azazel. He's a tinkerer and a scientist these days." She made a moue as she was thinking. "It'd be pretty stupid of him, too. That would just drive any prospective recruit away from Grigori, and given how heavily they rely on the disaffected for manpower..." Her eyes sharpened. "...you're suspecting a schism, aren't you?"

"I hope not," Sona said. "But that Fallen Angel who attacked Issei-kun seemed pretty certain she had official coverage. So, either she's simply that stupid, or someone with authority actually issued her orders." _Or both,_ she didn't say aloud. That girl… _Raynare,_ Issei and Reya had said she'd called herself… seemed to believe herself literally bulletproof. _That_ kind of thinking didn't necessarily require justification.

"I'll pass your thoughts on to Yasaka-dono," Shizuku told her. "If that'll be all…"

"Ah… forgive me, but I'm curious. I don't suppose there's been any news on the… incident from your class trip," Sona asked carefully. She felt guilty for even bringing it up.

Shizuku shook her head. Pain flashed briefly through her eyes. "None. But thank you for asking." The disappearance of half of class 3-C while on a class trip to Fukuoka, including Shizuku's best friend Shirasaki Kaori and her boyfriend Nagumo Hajime, had hung like a dark cloud over their classmates in the month since it had happened. The lack of conclusive answers didn't help.

"Please let me know if there's any way we can help," Sona added. She meant it, too, and not just because that would mean the Kyoto Faction observer owed her a marker.

"Thank you." The observer cleared her throat, then repeated with polite pointedness, "If that'll be all..."

"Yes, I think so. Thank you, Yaegashi-san."

-xxxx-

"This is getting really old, really quick," Issei said as yet another group of girls glowered at him as he passed. He was trying to sound philosophical about it, but it was clear his patience was starting to fray.

"I know," Kaori said commiseratingly.

"I could understand being skeptical about _me_ ," he continued as they walked towards the kendo club room. "That's fair. But that shoulda applied to those idiots, too. Why do _they_ get a pass?"

"People don't like change, I suppose," the kendoka answered. "Especially not when it means they have to take a look at themselves. If someone they dislike takes steps to improve themselves, it means _they_ start looking bad, and that just won't do…" The words were philosophical, if snarky. Her tone was actually, genuinely annoyed on Issei's behalf, and he gave the newly-minted Knight a surprised look.

"Don't get me wrong," she said quickly. "I'm just disgusted at the hypocrisy."

"...you do believe me, right?" Issei said carefully. It felt really important to him that Kaori believe that he was cleaning up his act. He was afraid to probe any closer at just _why_.

"Of course I do," she said quickly. "I've spent enough time with you the past few days. You're not like those idiots. At least, not anymore…"

He nodded his thanks, trying to ignore the sense of relief he felt at her words. That relief lasted until they passed the next group of students to give him withering looks. Once they were in a deserted stretch of hallway, he let out a tart laugh. "Maybe I should lean into this. If they're gonna act like I'm a monster, I should start busting heads - "

He stumbled to a stop at her sharp look. "...I'm kidding, Kaori-san. Well… mostly…"

"I hope so," she said, her expression still stern. "Ise… one thing about you that always stood out is that you were _kind_. Kinder than your friends. Even when your inner horndog was in control…" She sighed. "I can't blame you for being frustrated. Between those idiot friends of yours, and Amanogawa-sempai going all self-righteous, it's understandable." She looked him in the eye, her expression softening. "You're better than them. They're not worth you sinking to their level. Keep being kind."

"...I gotcha. Thanks, Kaori-san."

She just nodded. She looked like she'd been quietly arguing with herself about something. But all she said was, "If we hurry, we can get your gear while the room's mostly empty. Let's go."

-xxxx-

"What is _he_ doing here?!"

Issei bowed. There was a certain order to things, even if it was futile. "I'll be working with the kendo club from today forward. I hope we can get along." He paused, then added, "I know my past behavior has given many of you a bad opinion of me, and I can't blame you for that. I hope to demonstrate that I've changed."

"Well put, Hyoudou-kun," Yaegashi said. "Shitori-kaichou vouches for him, and I'm satisfied with both that and my observation of him."

"Of _course_ she does," a pigtailed first-year student said nastily. Issei couldn't help giving her a sharp look, and she recoiled as if he'd touched her.

"No more comments like that, Nagahama," Yaegashi cautioned.

"But - "

"That's _final_ , Nagahama," the kendo club captain said, her tone slightly sharper now. "If you don't like it - "

Kaori raised her hand. "Buchou, I'll work with Hyoudou if it'll make the others feel better."

A soft susurrus arose, of mixed relief ("Oh, thank God, someone _else_ will have to work with Hyoudou!") and guilt ("No! Poor Murayama-san!").

"Kaori!" Katase protested. "You don't have to do that!"

"Are you sure, Murayama?" Yaegashi asked.

"Yeah," she answered with a resigned shrug. "Maybe he's on the level. If he is, he won't make trouble, and we can just get on with business."

Yaegashi nodded. "Work with him this week, and we'll see about switching things up next week, okay?"

"Okay," the brunette said, and Issei just nodded silently. The club members slowly quieted down and got to practicing, aside from periodic distrustful looks directed towards the club's newest member.

Only Yaegashi noticed the commiserating half-smiles exchanged between Issei and his mandatory partner as they practiced.

-xxxx-

Rias waved Sona and her peerage into the ORC clubroom. "Please, come in. I see you have new members with you."

"Indeed we do," Sona agreed, nodding her thanks as Akeno started pouring tea. "My peerage has been brought up to full membership over the weekend. I'd like to introduce my new recruits, so everyone will be up to speed on who's in the know." Of course, everyone in the room knew who had been reincarnated during the weekend, but there were long-standing traditions about this kind of thing.

"Go right ahead," Rias said graciously.

Sona glanced at Aika, who cleared her throat and rose. "I'm Kiryuu Aika, Pawn of Sona Sitri. I hope we can work well together." She bowed, and Rias returned the bow, smiling in welcome.

As Aika sat, Kaori stood, looking slightly nervous. "I'm Murayama Kaori, Sona Sitri's new Knight. It's nice to meet you all as, well, Devils, and I hope we can get along." She and Rias bowed to each other, and the latter turned her eyes expectantly towards Sona's new Rook. The rest of her peerage did likewise, with varying degrees of subtlety.

Issei let out a breath, and rose, rubbing the back of his head. "Hiya. I'm Hyoudou Issei, Rook of Sona… Sona Sitri. I look forward to working with you guys."

"Is that all?" Rias asked, her tone lightly teasing.

"Um… she had to use a Mutation Piece on me," Issei said slowly, giving the Gremory heiress a quizzical look. He vaguely noted the surprise from Kiba and Akeno as they heard that.

"And?" Rias prompted. Issei had to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

"...and Sona-kaichou and I are engaged." Issei cocked his head, giving Rias a "that good enough?" look. She just grinned.

"We look forward to working with all of you too," Akeno said smoothly. She then paused, and everyone in the room could see what she said next coming. "Even if Rias and I _aren't_ your type, Hyoudou-kun."

Amid the snickers (not even Sona could resist), Issei sighed. "I am _never_ going to live that down, am I?"

"No," Akeno told him sweetly. "But it's cute of you to entertain the thought that you might."

Rias giggled as well, and straightened up, clearing her throat. "As you've no doubt guessed, the Occult Research Club is my peerage. Akeno is my Queen, Yuuto-kun my Knight, and Koneko-chan my Rook. I have a Bishop, but he has certain… issues that make social interactions nearly impossible." She spread her hands in a "there you have it" gesture. "Mine is a small peerage, but we're a family of sorts."

"So our peerages are allies, then?" Kaori asked.

"In most respects, yes," Sona answered. "There are certain things we'll compete for. Undoubtedly, the time will come where we'll face each other in a Rating Game. But, at least as far as matters in Kuoh go, we help each other out."

"Well put, Sona," Rias agreed.

-xxxx-

"Why didn't you _tell_ me Issei-kun had a Sacred Gear?!" Sona said exasperatedly to Rias. Their peerages had been dismissed, and Issei and Tsubasa had gone to practice hand-to-hand, with Murayama deciding to tag along to take on the winner. Her fiance had hurried them out of the ORC clubhouse before anyone else (read: Akeno) could come along to "help."

"I thought you _knew_ ," Rias said in honest surprise. She seemed just as amazed as that Fallen Angel had been that Sona hadn't known. "Honestly. I thought that was why you'd been cultivating his friendship. I didn't realize that was the case until last Thursday."

She smirked good-naturedly. "If it helps, it just confirms to me that you two make a good couple. Everything you've done was motivated by caring about him. Not the cool and calculating Sitri heiress, just Sona. You seem happier with that than I've ever seen you."

"Thanks," Sona muttered.

After a moment, Rias asked in an overly-casual tone, "So. What's it like?"

"What's what like?" Sona said, giving her a quizzical look.

"You _know…_ 'it.'" Rias Gremory was unaccustomed to blushing, but here she was, doing a credible cherry tomato impression.

"...ah." For a moment, Sona wanted to retort "What, having sex, or having a fiance who's worth a damn?" That kind of snark was unworthy of both of them, though. "Well. We haven't gone all the way yet..." Oh, she hated the way that sounded; it made her sound like a simpering TV drama character who thought holding hands was the height of scandal. "But what we've done so far has been quite enjoyable."

Rias looked at her expectantly, and Sona rolled her eyes. Finally, her own cheeks slightly pink, she muttered, "...he's good with his mouth." The Sitri heiress was silently gratified by the sight of Rias getting even redder. She wouldn't have thought it possible for the other girl's face to turn exactly the same shade as her hair, but it was happening anyway.

After a few minutes, Rias's face returned to normal, and she sighed. Sona looked at her again, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"I envy you," Rias told her softly. "Even with all the rumors, he seems to be a decent guy. I can't say the same for Riser. If he was anything like Hyoudou-kun, I might not fight this. But, he's _him_."

Sona felt a spike of guilt for her earlier mental snark. She reached out, awkwardly patting Rias's shoulder. "You have time. Time to build a peerage that can take him on. Even if that time gets, trimmed down, perhaps I can help."

"Loaning me members from yours?" Rias looked at her hopefully.

"If it comes to that. Informal Rating Games allow for it, you know," Sona reminded her gently. "And my newest members will be ready and able to help. Especially Issei-kun. His abilities and Sacred Gear aside, he's… Issei-kun." There was so much packed into those two words that Sona had trouble articulating, but Rias seemed to understand anyway.

"Coming from you, that's quite the endorsement," the Gremory heiress said enviously. "I'll hold you to that, then."

* * *

Tuesday:

Issei yawned and stretched. It was now a proven fact: he couldn't sleep worth a damn unless Sona was next to him. Sadly, she hadn't been able to stay the night before, and his parents had insisted he spend the evening with them. It was far from unreasonable on their part, considering how accommodating they'd been about her, but it _still_ meant he'd slept lousy.

He stifled another yawn as he stepped onto the campus, looking around to see if any of his friends or peerage-mates were arriving at the same time. Even Saji might make the walk through the school less lonely than -

"Excuse me!"

Issei turned, and tried not to stare. His first thought was _What's with the cute girl in_ Milky Spiral 7 _cosplay?_

The girl was indeed a beauty, with long jet-black hair styled into twintails, and big turquoise eyes. Her costume and details were perfectly accurate, and the best quality he'd ever seen. Even the wand looked like it could actually facilitate magic. There was something about her features, too. He'd never seen _her_ before, but something _about_ her face felt familiar.

"Um, hi," he said hesitantly. "What can I do for you?" He was uncomfortably aware of people stopping to look at the two of them. There would probably be rumors about him hooking up with cosplay models now.

"Can you tell me where the Student Council office is, please?" She smiled, and he could swear there were hearts and sparkles in the background. "I need to talk to the Council president."

"Oh. Yeah, sure, I'm headed there myself, so if you'll come with me…" He gestured to the high school building's main entrance.

She nodded enthusiastically and, without warning took his arm. Before he could protest, she said brightly, "Thank you… Hyoudou Issei-kun."

Issei froze and gave her a sharp look. "Why do you know my name?"

"You mean So-tan hasn't mentioned me?" The girl pouted cutely. "She's so cold sometimes! I hope she's warmer with you."

"'So-tan?'" Issei repeated, then his eyes went wide. "Sona-chan? Then… would you be her… her sister?"

 _Reya-san said she was eccentric,_ he reminded himself. He hadn't banked on "wears cosplay as street clothes," though!

"That's right!" The girl curtseyed and struck the "For Great Justice!" pose from the _Milky Spiral 7_ opening animation. "I'm Serafall Leviathan! But you can call me Sera-chan!" She winked, and again he saw hearts and sparkles for a moment.

Now _that_ was a magic trick he'd never expected to actually exist.

"Ah, um, nice to meet you," Issei said carefully, bowing to her. "Ah, if it's all the same to you, I'd feel more comfortable calling you a little more formal…" After all, this in-law was like a cabinet minister or something. He wasn't exactly marrying into royalty, but close enough! "Would 'Sera-neesan' be okay?"

"Hmmm, that's not as cute, though…" Serafall said, pouting slightly as she thought. "I like the sound of 'Sera-nee,' though!"

"Sure, that works," he agreed quickly. "Sera-nee."

She nodded in satisfaction, taking his arm again, and looked at him appraisingly. "So, you're my new little brother!" she stated. "You look even better than the snapshots Tsubaki-chan sent me!"

"Thanks, I think," Issei said. He wasn't surprised that she already knew what he looked like. "Shall we?"

She nodded, and they entered the building at a brisk pace. As he'd expected, he was getting side-eyed a lot.

"Hyoudou, you bastard," a second-year kyudo club member grumbled. "How dare you cheat on Sona-sama?!"

"I'm _not_!" Issei shot back.

"Hey!" Serafall exclaimed. "I'm his sister-in-law!"

"How dare you cheat on Sona-sama with her sister?!" another student complained, glaring at them both.

"We're _not_!" Issei and Serafall both protested. The latter looked at her sister's fiancee in exasperation. "Has this been going on long?"

"Just this week," he told her as they resumed walking. "I don't have a good reputation here. I've been trying to turn things around, but…"

Serafall nodded. "That's what Tsubaki-chan had told me."

"I guess it makes sense you'd want to vet your sister's boyfriend," Issei said philosophically.

"Tsubaki-chan _also_ told me you were smart," she said approvingly. "So far, I'm pleased with what I've heard. As long as you love and support So-tan, you'll have my approval."

She didn't mention the other side of that coin, Issei mused. He heard it well enough, anyway. "She'll always have my love and support," he assured her. He'd have promised that even without the unstated threat.

"Good!" Serafall told him, smiling again. "We'll get along just fine then, Icchan."

"Man, everyone's coming up with nicknames for me lately," Issei complained, but he was smiling as he did.

-xxxx-

"So-tan!" Serafall lunged forward and glomped Sona, rubbing her cheek against her sister's. (Issei tried not to enjoy the sight too much.) "I've missed you!"

"Hello, onee-sama…" Sona awkwardly returned her sister's hug, blushing like mad. Now that he had a chance to see them together, he could really see the family resemblance. If he hadn't known better, though, he'd have taken Sona for the elder sister. _Guess Devil government work takes a toll on you,_ he thought. "I see you've met Issei-kun, then." She looked gratefully at him. "Thank you for bringing her here."

"No problem," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yep! Icchan brought me here," Serafall confirmed. She grabbed Issei's wrist and pulled him over beside Sona, actually arranging them so that they were holding hands and looked like they were exchanging vows. "Look at the two of you together! Let me get some pictures…" She produced a smartphone in a pink-and-blue case and started snapping away. "So cute. I can't wait to be an aunt…"

"Onee-sama, please…" Sona looked like she was about to pass out from embarrassment. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see the two of you, of course!" her older sister said enthusiastically. "Oh, and to take Icchan to see Ajuka-chan so that he can inspect his Sacred Gear."

"It's the beginning of the school day," Sona said, her tone slightly frayed and her expression slightly nettled. This, Issei knew, was her equivalent of sputtering and wringing her hands. "And a Tuesday…"

"I know what his grades are like," Serafall said with a wave of her hand. "And what _yours_ are like, So-tan. The two of you can miss a day or two without his deviation value being affected, and I can take you to lunch!"

"Okay, knowing what my DV looks like is a little much," Issei protested. "Wait. Who's Ajuka?"

"He's the Maou in charge of technology and research," the elder Sitri sister answered promptly. "And I'm afraid it's either today or two weeks from now, So-tan. He has some projects he's working on."

"'Maou'... 'Demon King?'" Issei asked, looking at his fiancee.

"That _is_ how the kanji translates," Sona said with a nod. "But we usually use the term 'Satan.' The Four Maous… or Four Satans, whichever you prefer… are the rulers of Devil society. Onee-sama is one of them."

"That's right!" Serafall confirmed. "I'm in charge of foreign relations. That's why I'm called 'Leviathan.' It's a title, not a surname."

Issei stared at her for a moment. He hadn't been _wrong_ in his assumption, but he hadn't thought big _enough_. "...um. Wow. Ah, I should probably bow, right?"

"Don't you dare!" Serafall actually looked genuinely distressed by the thought. Issei found that somehow endearing. "You're _family_ now. And I've never been all that comfortable with bowing and scraping…"

"Okay, Sera-nee, whatever you like," Issei said quickly. He got a quick flash of surprise and approval from both of them, and shot Sona a smile of his own. "Ah… I guess we don't have a choice, huh?"

"I can cover for your absence, Issei-kun. I _wish_ I could go, but I have committee meetings today…" Sona shook her head, then looked thoughtful. "Onee-sama… I have a thought. Would you be willing to take along my new Pawn and Knight, as well, and show them around Lucifer? If Issei-kun has to go to the Underworld, he should probably get a quick tour, and if I can do the same for my other new pieces…"

"Sure! The more the merrier," Serafall said brightly, and Issei could tell she meant it. She seemed to be just that kind of person. _She's not that much like Sona-chan, at least on the surface. But she's definitely kind. I think I'll like having an older sister,_ he thought. "I'll wait for them, then."

Issei turned towards Serafall. As he did, Sona picked up the phone on her desk. "Um, do I need to bring anything? Change of clothes, a waiver?"

"Just you," the elder Sitri sister told him, smirking slightly at the last word. "Ajuka-chan will have everything else there."

"They're on their way." Sona said, replacing the receiver. She paused, then pulled open a desk drawer and handled Issei a black credit card emblazoned with what he'd come to recognize as the House of Sitri's sigil.

"I'll cover lunch, So-tan," Serafall protested.

"This is in case they need to stay the night, onee-sama." Sona blushed slightly. "Be sure to contact me with details. And… I want you to bring me back something from the deli near the government district."

"Ah! I know exactly what you want." Serafall grinned at Issei. "And you will soon, too. Well, I'm sure you've learned some things already…" she added in a teasing tone.

"Sera-nee!" Issei protested, at the same time that Sona actually sputtered, "Onee-sama!"

"An adorable brother and sister to dote on. My day - no, my week - has been made!" Serafall said, her grin turning sentimental.

-xxxx-

The trip to Lucifer, the Devil capital, had been rather surreal for Issei. And that, oddly enough, was because of how _normal_ the whole thing had been thus far.

Crossing the dimensional borders had been done in the comfort of a train car (the fact that the Gremory and Sitri houses shared a private train car was somehow the least surprising thing of the day). And what he'd seen of Devil territory - primarily the Gremory lands, as Serafall had mentioned - was so much like Japan that he couldn't tell the difference. Even Lucifer itself was almost indistinguishable from major cities in the human world.

He was almost disappointed at the lack of basalt towers and burning lakes. Almost.

Even Ajuka Beelzebub himself was remarkable in his unremarkable appearance. If not for his Maou's robes and the weird stuff in his laboratory, Issei would have taken him for a fellow programmer. (Although he had to admit a little jealousy about the other man's looks.) The way Ajuka kept glancing at his machine was very familiar; it was an expression he saw in the mirror daily.

"Here." Ajuka handed Serafall a small case, about the size and shape of a portable toiletries bag. "It's a prototype portable Sacred Gear scanner. It's connected to the database we have here. I imagine your and Sirzechs' sisters can get some good use out of it, and I'll get feedback on how well it works."

"How's it connected to the database here?" Issei asked interestedly.

"I'll let you take a look at our electronic setup here sometime, so you can see," Ajuka said, perking up at Issei's question. Technology geeks really _were_ the same, whether they were humans or Devils. "In return, I'd like to take a look at what you have on your Devil Summoning App."

"Definitely. Maybe you can help me with - "

"Focus, Ise," Kaori said softly, tapping him on the shoulder. She looked fondly exasperated. (This wasn't lost on Aika, who wore a similar expression, or Serafall, who smiled inwardly as she remembered what a younger Sona had told her. Predictably, both men in the room were clueless.)

"Sorry, Icchan. We're on the clock." Serafall sounded regretful, but firm.

"Ah, right. Sorry 'bout that." Issei rubbed the back of his head, looking around the laboratory, and asked, "So, where do I stand?"

"Just lay on the table. You don't need to take your clothes off, or anything. Oh, and please leave the things that look like metal thorns alone."

"Sure thing…" Issei eyed the aforementioned thorns, scooted away from them, and laid back on the table. The material was an unusual kind of plastic, springy and somewhat cool to the touch.

"You'll feel a little warm as the scanner does its work, but it'll be done soon," Ajuka told him, then added, "Probably."

"I _knew_ you were going to say that," Issei said resignedly. He felt a vague warmth playing across his chest briefly, and then a computerized voice spoke. "Accessing Sacred Gear database. Searching archives… match found. High-tier creation Sacred Gear, Unknown Dictator. Also known as 'the Imperial Child of Machine World.' Manifests as a plain iron circlet when unattuned. Enables bearer to remotely manipulate and shape, both in fine and in gross, ferrous objects and electronic devices. Advanced mastery allows bearer to create complex mechanical objects from available ferrous materials."

"You can sit up now, Issei-kun," Ajuka said. When Issei rose, the Maou looked thoughtful. "That's a very rare Sacred Gear. Very powerful, too, in the hands of someone who has an idea how to use it."

"No wonder it took a Mutation Piece to reincarnate you, Icchan." Serafall sounded pleased.

"So, is that EM field manipulation, or…?" Issei trailed off.

"That's probably involved somehow," Ajuka agreed. "It would take further testing and experimentation to figure out how. I have some time the week after next, if you'd like to meet and do further testing."

"Would you like me to bring him back down?" Serafall asked curiously.

"Actually, I think I'll come up," Ajuka said thoughtfully. "It's been a long time since I last visited the human world. I'd like to see Unknown Dictator's performance outside of the laboratory."

"Sure, sounds good," Issei agreed. "Just contact Sona-chan to set up the time, or me… ah… can I try something?"

"Certainly."

"If you can bring out your cell phone, please… I'm not sure if this will work if I don't have line of sight."

Bemused, Ajuka fished out his phone, unlocking the screen. A moment later, Issei's LINE contact data popped up on the display.

Issei's phone was nowhere to be seen, and his hands were resting on the tabletop.

Ajuka looked almost delighted. "Well done. I think you're getting the hang of it already."

-xxxx-

"So you gave a guy you just met your phone number," Aika teased as they walked down the hall.

"I wish you wouldn't phrase it like that," Issei half-grumbled.

"Well, I think it's nice that you made a new friend," Kaori teased as well, adopting an older-sister tone.

"Making it sound like I just came home from kindergarten... Whose side are you two on?" Issei had descended to full-on grumbling.

His classmates exchanged good-natured smirks, and chorused, "Kaichou's."

"That's probably the correct answer," Serafall mused, draping an arm around Issei's shoulders. "Don't worry, Icchan. Everything will look up after lunch at the Underworld's best deli. What's your favorite sandwich?"

-xxxx-

"I'm home," Issei announced. "Kaa-san, tou-san, I brought Sona-chan and her sister, and they brought takeout for everyone!" He stopped short as he saw his parents, blinking. "...what's going on?"

"Issei!" Rio exclaimed, looking slightly embarrassed. She and Gorou were in the middle of bundling up in heavy parkas. He had slung a backpack over one shoulder, and she was lifting one of her own. "We were just about to call you."

"About what?" he said slowly, looking back and forth between the two of them. They seemed to be in good spirits, but there was something tense, even brittle, about their mood. Beside him, Sona had an equally quizzical expression. Serafall looked back and forth between Issei and his parents, her expression politely bemused.

"We're going out of town for a little bit," Gorou said quickly. "A friend of the family asked for our help. We may be gone for a few days, so we left the credit card for you on the counter."

"Oh, where are my manners?" Rio piped up, neatly cutting off Issei's attempt to question them further. She smiled at Serafall. "I'm Hyoudou Rio, and this is my husband Gorou-kun. I'm sorry, you caught us at a bad time…"

"I'm sorry to intrude." Serafall bowed quickly. "I'm Serafall. I was in town, visiting So-tan, and I figured I should meet Icchan's family." Issei was silently amazed that she could act, well, adult-like. He probably _shouldn't_ have been, he admitted to himself, but he was anyway.

"We'll leave him in your hands, then," Gorou said amiably. "Hopefully, he's not giving you any trouble." He was drumming his fingertips impatiently on his backpack's should strap.

"He's been a perfect gentleman," the Maou assured them. "He and So-tan are just too cute together."

"Oookay then," Issei said quickly. "Tou-san, do you want me to unlock the driveway for you?"

"That's okay, we have a ride on the way." Gorou shifted the backpack so it was riding more comfortably. "We'll probably be gone for a few days. Depending on how things go, we may have a guest coming back with us."

"A guest," Issei repeated dubiously.

Gorou checked his wristwatch, and turned to his wife. "Rio, it's time."

"Sona-chan, feel free to keep our boy company while we're gone," Rio said encouragingly. "Serafall-san, it was nice to meet you. Let's have you over for dinner sometime!"

"Hold the fort while we're gone," Gorou said as he opened the front door for Rio. "Ah, sorry to miss out on the takeout! Thanks for the thought, though." Before Issei could ask anything else, they were through the door.

"...well, that was a thing," Issei said wryly as the door closed. "That's really weird." He shrugged. "Well, guess that means I get tou-san's cheesesteak."

"Not _all_ of it, you don't," Sona chided, shifting the bags full of takeout around. "They don't make a habit of that, then? Has your mom always been a homemaker?"

"Ah, no, not without lots of warning. And kaa-san? As far as I remember, mostly, but I think she was an art teacher when I was younger, or something like that. Oh, and there was… you probably never saw it, but there was an art studio in Kuoh for a few years. She worked there as an artist, working with blown glass and pottery. She was really good with anything that involved fire." Issei trailed off as he looked at the door for a moment, then shrugged and grinned at Sona. "Well, at least you got permission to stay over."

"To be perfectly honest, I would even if I hadn't," Sona said with a smirk. "Teleportation magic is a wonderful thing."

"Please try and control yourselves while I'm here," Serafall said archly, reaching out and shaking the bags of food meaningfully. She looked slightly contemplative for a moment, then seemed to shake it off. "I've been wanting stuff from that deli all week. Let's not waste it."

"I'll take those and dish them up. Why don't the two of you go sit at the table?" Issei suggested, taking the bags of food.

"Thank you, Icchan," Serafall said gratefully. Once he was in the kitchen, she turned to her sister. "What is it you wanted to ask me about, So-tan?"

"Did you sense it, too, onee-sama?" Sona asked flatly.

Serafall nodded, her expression surprisingly serious. "Yes, I did. Something's doing an excellent job of obscuring it, though. I'd guess wards laid into the house's foundation." She cocked her head. "If I had to guess, neither of them are fully human."

"That's my guess," Sona agreed. "I'm at a loss as to _what_ they are. The only things I know are that, one, Issei-kun isn't aware…." She glanced meaningfully towards the kitchen.

Serafall looked thoughtful. "Yes. I think I agree. Two?"

"I received unofficial word from the Kyoto Faction's observer," Sona said. "Apparently the Hyoudous have friends in Kyoto, and those friends want to make sure nothing happens to him." She let out a breath. "Well, so do I…"

"I know, So-tan," Serafall assured her. "Hmm. Well… I wouldn't swear to this, not without knowing more, but there _is_ someone with Kyoto affiliations who would have that kind of pull, but is in semi-retirement in an 'unknown location.'" She made the finger-quotes, making Sona snort.

"Who is she?"

"She was called the 'Aoikaji-hime.'"

"Written how?" Sona asked, her brows knitting.

Serafall pulled out a notepad, scribbling out the kanji.

"The 'Azure Conflagration Princess.' That's not a reassuring name," the Sitri heiress replied, letting her sardonic humor show through.

"No, not really." Serafall's tone matched her sister's."Keep in mind that I never actually _met_ her. There's a _lot_ of hyperbole mixed in with her reputation," she warned Sona.

Sona nodded, making a "go on" gesture.

"That said, she was supposedly the Shinto Faction's most powerful pyrokinetic mage. Something of a magical enforcer, one who worked directly with Yasaka. There were even rumors that she wielded one of the Shinto Holy Swords. Most of the stories I've heard say that she retired a decade or more ago." Serafall spread her hands in a "there you have it" gesture. "And _that_ is what I know. Like I said, at least half hyperbole, although it's generally agreed that you don't want to piss her off."

"…do the ages line up?" Sona asked.

"Maybe. I'd have to go back through the stories I've heard. But, it would fit nicely, wouldn't it?" Serafall looked curiously at her sister. "I can forward them to you, if you want."

"I suppose it would. And I would appreciate that." Sona took a deep breath as she processed that. Finally, she said, "Please don't tell Issei-kun I asked."

"I won't," Serafall assured her. "I _really_ don't get the feeling he's aware, either." She fixed her sister with a rare serious look. "But I _do_ think you should have a conversation with _them_ in the near future. After all, both you and they have a vested interest in Icchan staying safe."

"You're right as always, onee-sama," Sona told her gratefully.

"So does that mean I can talk you into doing cosplay with me?" the Maou asked suddenly, her eyes lighting up.

"I never said that – "

"Icchaaan! Do you want to see So-tan do magical girl cosplay?"

"Sure!" Issei's voice came back. "Wait, in public, or – "

" _Issei-kun_!" Sona yelled, her cheeks turning cherry-red.

"Yes, public cosplay! I don't care what she cosplays as when you two are alone," Serafall called back, then amended. "Well, I do, but…"

"Well, as long as it's modest…" Issei's reply was rather more dubious than his first response.

"Let's just eat," Sona muttered. Despite the embarrassment, she felt rather pleased. Here she was, with her two favorite people in the world, and they were getting along swimmingly.

* * *

Wednesday:

"All right, your hand-to-hand is coming along well," Sona said approvingly. The peerage was assembled on the grounds of a long-abandoned mansion a short distance from Kuoh proper. Both the Student Council and the ORC made a habit of using the property for combat training. "We should start working on your magic."

"Okay," Issei agreed with a nod. "I think I can do stuff with fire. Not very well, though." He glanced at Reya and Aika. "I think you two saw it?"

Reya nodded. "He managed a white-hot flame long enough to scorch that Raynare bitch. Couldn't keep it going long, but under the circumstances, it was amazing that he could do it at all."

Aika shrugged. "Mostly, I remember her screaming a lot and trying to kill Ikkun."

"That's _so_ helpful, Aika-san," Issei groused. He was trying to figure out when he'd given her permission to call him that, and why Reya had immediately latched onto the nickname as well. He was also trying to figure out why he didn't mind hearing it from them.

 _At least it beats "Ise-chan,"_ he thought wryly.

"We can work on it with him, kaichou," Reya said brightly. "I need to start working on combat magic with Aika-san, anyway."

"All right." Sona shifted her gaze back to her fiance. "Come get me if you guys need a hand?"

"Sure thing," Issei said with a nod, and glanced at his classmate as Sona walked over to join Tsubaki. "So, how _is_ magic going for you?"

"Pretty well," Aika said thoughtfully. "At least in non-combat stuff. When it comes to actually blowing stuff up… well, I think I'm good enough at illusion magic to make you _think_ I've blown stuff up."

"We all have different talents," Reya assured her. "You're doing just fine, all things considered.

"Yeah, hang in there," Issei told the Pawn encouragingly, and turned his gaze to the Bishop. "What do I do first, then?"

"Concentrate," Reya said encouragingly. "If you can, do whatever you were doing when it happened the first time."

"I'd rather not get my windpipe crushed again, thanks," Issei replied with a good-natured smirk. He concentrated, holding out his hands. After a moment, blue-white sparks began dancing along his fingertips. He stared in shock, and they immediately guttered out.

"That's not a bad start," Reya remarked. "Try it again."

-xxxx-

A half-hour's worth of experimentation had brought them to the breakthrough. Both Reya and Issei would later say that they should have seen it coming.

"Maybe some kind of gesture, or… what's the martial arts word, Tsubasa?" Reya asked. She was sitting cross-legged on the ground, the legs of her track pants pushed up around her knees to keep cool.

"Depends." Tsubasa was sipping from a can of sweet coffee. "Think the word you want is 'stance,' in this case, though."

"Dunno any. Ah, thanks." Issei took the bottle of water Aika offered and drained it in one go. "Thought what you're teaching me is closer to Krav Maga, anyway."

"Yeah, but Krav Maga has techniques, too. Even if it just cribs them from everyone else," Tsubasa pointed out. "Reya's got a point, though. Some kind of stance or gesture that can help you focus. Maybe a word or a thought, if that doesn't work."

Reya nodded, her lips pursed in thought. It was a cute look on her, Issei thought. "Human magicians often use objects, chants, or gestures as a kind of focus, to build a mental framework for doing their magic. Devil magic tends to be more about will or desire. But, if one's not working for you, maybe the other will…"

"Hmm…" Issei repeated thoughtfully, an idea starting to form. It was a _ridiculous_ one, but… what was the old saying? "If it's stupid, but it works, it ain't stupid?"

He stretched and worked his shoulders for a minute, before holding his hands up hesitantly. Finally, he leveled his arms, shaping his hands into… finger-guns.

He wouldn't have thought silence could sound simultaneously exasperated and amused.

"Playing _The House of the Dead_ , Ise-chan?" Tsubasa said in an amused tone.

"...you _did_ spend a lot of time at the arcade during middle school…" Murayama said consideringly. Issei distantly wondered why she remembered that, or why she knew it in the first place. That seemed unimportant at the moment, though. Even as his friends spoke, he could somehow _feel_ the fire sparking to life, shaping itself into a form he could use. It was as if the finger-guns acted as a metaphorical weapon that he was "loading" the fire into. That was as close as he could come to describing the thought process and feeling.

What happened, from the perspective of the rest of Sona's peerage, was that searing blue-white flames erupted into life around Issei's hands. It burned brightest around the fingers that formed the "barrel" of his finger-guns. "How's this?" he asked.

"That's great!" Reya enthused, looking like she was about to start clapping. "It's… unorthodox, but it's _working_ , and that's the important thing. No magical circles, either… again, that's unusual, but not unprecedented, and the results are hard to argue with..." She grinned brightly at Issei. "I think you may be a natural pyrokinetic!"

"Aoikaji," Sona said softly.

Issei looked at her in confusion. "What? 'Azure conflagration?'" He paused, thinking about that. "I kinda like the sound of that."

"Just something I heard recently," Sona said quickly. "That's very good, Issei-kun. Very good, indeed." Sona's violet eyes were fixed intently on him. Approval and affection mingled in her gaze, and were leaking into her tone. "The wall there. Use it until it crumbles." She indicated the concrete wall on the abandoned mansion grounds they were using for combat training. It was nearly twenty meters long, and nearly a meter thick. That made it nearly ideal for Devils testing their strength and magical power. (Rebuilding it also made good endurance training for devils with talent in earth magic.)

"Yeah," he replied, his tone oddly eager. He took a deep breath, taking careful aim at the northern end of the wall, and thrust his hands forward, miming a "firing" gesture. The blue-white flames lashed out, exploding as they impacted the thick concrete wall. When the smoke cleared, they had left deep craters in the concrete, with cracks starting to spiderweb throughout its structure.

At Sona's encouraging nod, Issei "fired" both finger-guns again, and again, and again. It took a dozen repetitions for his flame to start weakening, and by that point the northernmost three meters of wall were either smoking rubble or in the process of becoming so.

"Enough," Sona told him, and Issei relaxed his hands, the fire guttering out as he did. He slumped his shoulders, letting out a sigh of relief.

Another bottle of water bounced off his chest, hitting the ground. "So much for those Rook reflexes," Aika teased.

"Rooks don't _have_ superhuman reflexes, you know," he retorted, leaning down to pick up the bottle. He drained it dry in one gulp."

"Interesting," Reya said, leaning forward. She took his hands, peering intently at them. "That's a totally different kind of fire than you manifested that night."

"Fire's fire, right?" Issei asked, looking perplexed. "Maybe this is just burning hotter, or something?"

"Hmm, maybe…" Reya said, looking thoughtful, still studying his hands with great interest. "Blue flames are kind of distinctive, though."

"Yes, they are." Tsubaki spoke for the first time since the training session began, and her eyes were half-closed in thought. "I think I've seen that somewhere before, as well."

Issei laughed nervously. He wasn't sure how he felt about them probing about his pyrokinesis, especially given that he understood next to nothing about it himself. "I think I'll call that the ' _Rekka-dan_.'"

"'Conflagration-Bullet?' It fits," Reya said, smiling brightly. "Maybe next time I _will_ depend on you where the psycho crow is concerned."

"You gonna start reading his palm next, Reya?" Aika teased playfully. The Bishop flushed slightly, dropping Issei's hands. He felt both relief and disappointment about that, and tried to shake the latter off.

"That's excellent progress," Sona said, cutting off any further awkwardness. "We'll work on improving your magical endurance, but for the first night of doing something like that, it's staggering." She gave him an appraising look. "Normally the Devils specialized in long-distance attacks are Bishops, or Knights skilled with firearms. The latter are relatively uncommon, though. A Rook who can engage effectively at all ranges will have a distinct advantage."

"Thanks," Issei said, blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "Basa-chan's still got the edge with actually _hitting_ people, though."

"And don't you forget it," Tsubasa said in a mock-threatening tone. "I prefer getting in there and mixing it up, anyway. This way, you can snipe and I'll slug."

"I _do_ like it when my peerage does the division of labor for me," Sona said, in a dry tone. Her eyes and smile made it clear she approved, though, and a chuckle rippled through the rest of them. "Now, Issei-kun, before we break for tonight, I'd like you to try using that fire in close combat."

Issei nodded. "With Basa-chan, or…?"

"The wall again will suffice. This will be more for proof-of-concept, than anything else."

"Okay. Let's see… ah, Basa-chan, can you show me that stance again?"

Tsubasa nodded, and slid easily into the Krav Maga "fighting stance." Issei eyed her for a moment (purely to gauge the proper form, no other reason at all), then emulated it. He shifted his dominant foot slightly back, and raised his hands to chin level. He paused, shifting the right hand slightly forward, and then canted his arms at ninety-degree angles. His fingers curled into fists, and as he did so, he felt the fire starting to bubble to life again. This time, the blue-white flame burned brightest around his knuckles.

At Sona's nod, he launched himself at the wall, throwing punch after punch. His Rook's strength would have been enough to leave visible dents in the concrete before, but the explosions as his fire-wreathed fists struck the wall added a remarkable concussive force. Now that he was close enough to see, that blue-white flame disappeared as it exploded against the wall, and he somehow felt the fire slowly seeping back into him. It was almost as though it were a nearly inexhaustible resource, even as it faltered and guttered.

By the time he was finished, that thirty-meter-long wall had been cut down to twenty-three meters. The rest was smoking rubble.

Issei wiped his brow with the back of his head, and turned back towards the others. He saw them all staring at the damage wrought, and at him. He tugged down his shirt, trying to hide the fact that he was more than a little… excited right now. Sona's eyes quietly hinted that she shared the feeling.

"Excellent, Issei-kun," Sona said, a certain earthiness slipping subtly into her tone. (At the very least, those who knew her well could hear it. Issei tried to ignore the amused side-eye Tsubaki was giving her King.) "Good work, everyone. Call it a day."

Aika looked like she was about to comment, but Tsubasa cut her off with a round of obvious throat-clearing. Sona ignored them.

* * *

Thursday:

Issei narrowed his eyes in concentration, focusing on maintaining and traversing the gateway. Magic wasn't coming to him as easily as he'd hoped.

Aika had taken to it like a fish to water, to a point where the Bishops were already teaching her intermediate techniques. And, in all fairness, he was learning _some_ kinds of magic with ease. The kinds of magic that involved shooting or blowing stuff up with fire or lightning, for example. It was a little scary, just how easily he was taking to those.

But something as delicate and complex as teleportation magic? _That_ was taking every ounce of concentration, even what with there being an "anchor" on the summoner's side. Sona said it would come easier with time, but he wasn't convinced.

At least he was only doing the one contract this afternoon, and he'd have the rest of the night with his fiancee. Finally, that dinner! Time alone with Sona aside, he'd heard some really good things about Silver Moon's steaks.

He felt the final "tug" that Reya had advised him about, and mentally "reached" for the source. That snapped him through the passage, and he had to drop to one knee for a minute, catching his breath and his bearings. That finally done, he rose, starting to recite the boilerplate Sona had taught him.

He stopped short as he realized who he was looking at. "...Onizuka-sensei?" he said in disbelief.

"Hyoudou-kun?" The vice-principal stared at him in shock. "W-what are… are _you_ a Devil…?" Onizuka Azusa actually half-recoiled from him. "I-I suppose that tracks with the rumors…" She steeled herself with visible effort, and said with brittle courage. "I-I humbly request your assistance. I-I'm willing to pay whatever price - "

Issei had started sweating the moment she recognized him. "Um, sensei, you don't have to worry about something like that," he said quickly, trying to head off her panic at the pass. "I don't do that crap anymore, I'm engaged." He cleared his throat. "Um. Tell me what you need help with, and I'll see what I can do."

-xxxx-

"...don't see why you can't just _tell_ your husband what you're getting him for his birthday," Issei commented forty-five minutes later.

"Eikichi-kun is convinced that I don't know about his bosuzoku days, back before we met. He thinks he's cleaned up after himself well enough." Onizuka-sensei's expression was one of exasperated affection for her husband. Issei had a sneaking suspicion that Sona often wore that same look when thinking about him. "I wanted to find something from those days to show him that I love and accept all of him."

 _And to show him that he can't put one over on you,_ Issei thought whimsically. Ah, well. This was probably a foretaste of the future, and the flavor tasted all right. "Well, this site has a pretty good rep. Ah, if you don't want to chance it with your card, I have a you can use."

"Really? Thank you, Hyoudou-kun." The vice-principal glanced at the slip of paper he showed her, and began a funds transfer via LINE. As they waited in companionable silence, she asked, "What's it like, being a Devil?"

"I'll let you know when I've figured that out for myself," he said in a clearly joking tone. She didn't seem to get the joke, but the funds showed up in his at just that moment, so it hardly mattered. He double-checked the site. "You're sure this is who he rode with?" At her affirmative nod, he placed the order, double-checking the delivery address: a post-office box that, what seemed like a lifetime ago, he used to have his porn and eroge sent to. Odd thing to feel nostalgic about, he thought. "Done. One _tokko-fuku_ , on the way."

"Really?" Onizuka-sensei looked delighted. More than that, she looked _relieved_ , like a heavy burden had just been lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you, Hyoudou-kun!" She sobered. "Um, what do you feel is a fair payment…?"

-xxxx-

"Here." Issei set a slip of paper on Sona's computer desk.

She picked it up, peering at it. "An account number?"

"For the Student Council budget," Issei explained. "It's under your control now. _Sona Sitri_ 's control, not the kaichou's. For the next five years. It's also been bumped up by twenty percent." He grinned. "All for the price of helping the vice-principal track some of her husband's stuff down from his bosuzoku days."

Sona gave him an approving look. "Very clever, Issei-kun. That'll be quite useful for us."

"Thanks." He reached out, pulling her gently to her feet.

"What's this?" She said, bemused but game.

"I just think I deserve a kiss for completing my first contract," he said, a surprisingly shy note in his voice.

"Oh," she said, considering this with all due gravity. "I suppose that's fair…" She draped her arms around his neck, drawing him down for a deep kiss. As it broke, he started to lean in for a second, but she placed a hand on his chest. "Hold that thought. There's something on the chair for you."

"For me?" Issei said wonderingly, picking up the garment bag. Cocking his head curiously, he unzipped it, and pulled out a charcoal-grey suit on a hanger. Accompanying it was a crimson silk dress shirt and a dark blue silk necktie. Both eyebrows raised, he turned towards Sona. "This is great, Sona-chan… how much did this set you back, though?"

"It was a drop in the bucket," Sona said reassuringly. "And that's because of what happened to your dress clothes the _last_ time we tried to have dinner." Her cheeks pinked slightly. "I'm afraid I had to go through your clothes to get the sizes correct. It's tailored for you, though."

" _Nice_ ," Issei said, and meant it. "I'll get changed, then."

"I'll do likewise," she said, rising from her desk. "This once, I'll ask you not to peek," she added with a slight smirk.

"This once," he said with a sheepish smile.

By the time she emerged, Issei had donned the suit and shirt, though he was struggling to knot the necktie. He started to ask her for help, but ended up just staring at her.

Sona was now wearing a knee-length, blue-gray silk dress with a full skirt and spaghetti-strapped bodice. A transparent blue wrap was worn around her shoulders. Her cheeks were slightly pink as she felt her eyes on him. "How do I look?" she asked quietly.

"Amazing. Sona-chan, you're _beautiful_ ," Issei insisted, taking her hands.

"Thank you." She seemed to relax, her eyes taking him in admiringly. "You're quite handsome yourself. Does the suit fit okay?"

"Yeah, it fits great. You have a good tailor."

"Our family tailor is good at that sort of thing," she answered. "We'll see about getting you some more suits, then." She reached up, starting to fiddle with his tie. "Let me get that for you."

"This feels nice," Issei told her. The scene felt almost like a domestic cliché, but a comfortable and happy one.

"It does," she agreed as she finished knotting the necktie . "I suppose that was a very husband-wife thing to do."

"I sure won't complain about it," he assured her, and offered her his arm. With a smile, she took it.

-xxxx-

"That was _great_ ," Issei said with a soft laugh, and Sona smiled in response. Indeed, the dinner at Silver Moon had been everything that the reviews claimed, and the stories about their steaks had proven true. Both Sona and Issei had kept watching the door at first, half-expecting something to explode, but by the time they were perusing the dessert menu they had fully relaxed.

"I don't imagine I can talk you into calling out sick tomorrow," he joked as they approached his front door.

"I'm tempted, but no," Sona told him. "If onee-sama hadn't had to take you to Lucifer on Tuesday, perhaps, but no." She looked thoughtful, and Issei wondered whether he should ask what was on her mind.

"I figured," he said instead. He unlocked the door, standing aside so she could enter before following her inside. "Want anything to drink?"

"Ice water is fine, thank you," she said, taking the suitcase and heading for the stairs.

Issei headed straight for the kitchen, busying himself with fixing the drinks. He didn't realize Sona had come back down the stairs until he felt her arms slip around his waist. He started for a moment, then relaxed, reaching down to squeeze her hands. "Hi."

"Hi," she answered, her voice slightly muffled. After a moment, her voice said thoughtfully, "I texted Tsubaki. We'll skip club events tomorrow."

"A night off, huh?" he said, turning around to face her. He was careful not to dislodge her arms from around her waist, and rested his own hands on her shoulders. "I like it."

"And maybe this weekend we can have another date night, a more informal one," Sona continued with a smile. "Provided Kuoh doesn't vanish in a cataclysm."

"Just watch the frigging Singularity happen Saturday afternoon," Issei said dryly. "Sure, I'm game."

"And one more thing," Sona added. "I don't think anything will be harmed if we miss the first two classes tomorrow."

"Okay, I'm good with that. But why the schedule change, Sona-chan?" He handed her one of the glasses.

She took a long drink. "Because I want tomorrow to be fairly low-key. Because you and I are going to be late getting to school." Sona fixed him with a look whose meaning was unmistakable.

Issei's face flushed, and he felt his heart start to race. The glass in his hand trembled for a moment, and he had to set it down. "Sure… what brings this on, though? Are you sure?" He reached for her hands.

"I've been wanting you for a very long time, anata," she told him, her cheeks a fetching shade of pink. Sona touched his face tenderly, and he leaned into her touch. " _Especially_ this week. Even though we've hardly been chaste at all… perhaps especially because of that." She set down her glass and leaned close, giving him a long, lingering kiss. By the time she released him, both of them were panting, and Issei was flabbergasted as to how _anyone_ could think Sona Sitri a cold fish. "Take me to bed, now. Please."

Issei nodded tersely, pulling her to her feet. Before she could say another word, he lifted her in a bridal carry and started walking towards the stairs. Sona's face was a little red, but that didn't keep her from wearing a tremulously pleased smile. He knew that his expression mirrored hers.

* * *

Friday:

"Did you see how much she was humming this morning?"

"And Ikkun was _really_ tight-lipped about last night, aside from talking about his steak. Is Silver Moon's steak really _that_ good?"

"I've seen their menu prices. They had _better_ be that good."

"Not to mention when they arrived. Two classes late?"

Despite the topic of conversation, there was none of the petty sniping that often accompanied such discussions. The Student Councilors sounded nothing if not pleased for their president and her fiance.

"Ladies." Tsubasa, Reya, and Momo turned their attention to Tsubaki. The Queen cleared her throat. "We really shouldn't be speculating about our King and Hyoudou-kun's sex life. That said…" She opened her notebook. "Who had today?"

The first three girls exchanged glances, and Reya raised her hand.

"Then you win the pool," Tsubaki said, and the other girls grumbled, reaching for their wallets.

"I'm surprised you didn't bet on today, fukukaichou," Tsubasa commented as she passed a ¥2,000 note to Reya.

"I bet on last Thursday," the vice-president said, sounding slightly put out.

-xxxx-

"'Straightforward Stray Devil hunt,' huh?" Issei panted. " _Please_ tell me Fallen Angels and their mooks aren't part of the standard package!"

"No, they certainly are _not_ ," Sona retorted.

"Special just for you, Ikkun," Reya said, somehow managing to maintain a degree of verve. "For your very first Stray hunt."

"Oh, don't feel you have to put yourself out for _my_ benefit…"

The three of them spun at the same time, Issei unleashing a _Rekka-dan_ flurry while Sona let fly with a dozen spears of boiling water. The former attack took two of the mooks in the breadbasket, knocking them backwards with a series of explosions and setting their coats momentarily ablaze. The latter turned into sinuous, hissing serpents as they struck the statuesque, blue-haired Fallen Angel, constricting around her and immediately superheating. The screams actually made the Devils wince.

As the smoke and steam cleared, Reya summoned a dozen magical circles, each one wreathed in lightning. They all fired simultaneously, each bolt zeroing in on the Fallen Angel's head. At the relatively close range, they cored between her eyes, and she dropped like a marionette whose strings had been cut. That had probably been a mercy, at this point.

"Are they dead?" Issei asked softly. He sounded like he was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Probably," Reya said tersely, before picking up on his tone. "Ikkun?" She patted his cheek, looking at him intently. "Stay with us, here…"

Sona inwardly winced. This was something she'd neglected to cover, but at the same time, it was best he run into this now. She, too, moved to Issei's side, touching his shoulder. "Issei-kun," she said, her tone soft but urgent. "Reya's right. I understand, but we don't have time to dwell on it. We need to keep moving."

He nodded, forcing his breathing to slow. When he replied, his tone was terse but calm. "Gotcha."

"Run," she ordered. "The campus."

Her Rook and her Bishop nodded, and the three of them sprinted for the dubious safety of Kuoh Academy's campus.

-xxxx-

It really _had_ been intended as a straightforward Stray Devil hunt, one that had come down on them at the last minute. They had Viser's description and the approximate geographical area she'd been sighted in. Sona had expected to spend a few hours running her to ground, another hour either arranging for her transport or her disposal, and then have a movie night in with Issei. It would have been a nice way to end the week, and one thing they'd found they shared was a tongue-in-cheek fondness for movies with ridiculous depictions of technology. (All Issei had to do was say "United States government," and the two of them would dissolve in snickers.)

Things had gone sideways the moment the Fallen Angels appeared. Sona had no idea how Viser had gotten into contact with them, or how she'd persuaded them to help her. It didn't matter much, though, because the Fallen Angel and a half-dozen human agents had appeared just as Sona, Issei, and Reya had closed in. Tsubaki had the rest of the peerage approaching from the other direction, and they had actually run into Viser, along with two more Fallen Angels.

-xxxx-

"Tsubaki!" Sona rapped out into the communications circle. "What's your status?"

"No one harmed at present, kaichou," Tsubaki replied calmly. "Approaching the campus from the south side, with crows and their lackeys in pursuit. Estimate three minutes out."

"Understood," Sona acknowledged with a sharp nod. "Have you informed Rias?"

"Rias-sempai has been informed. Kiba-kun is preparing a trap on the east side of the old schoolhouse, and Rias-sempai recommends you aim for there."

"East side of the old schoolhouse. Thank you, Tsubaki. See you shortly." Sona made a sharp gesture, dismissing the communications circle.

As they sprinted through the school gates, they could see a melee already forming. Kiba, a jian-like sword in his grip, was hopping around, squared off against a Fallen Angel while a half-dozen people wearing the garb of Church Exorcists tried to outflank him. Considering their outfits, the latter were probably rogues who had gone running to Grigori for one unsavory reason or another.

"Sona-chan, he's got the ground littered with stuff," Issei said suddenly. "Iron filings or something – "

"Ah, I see it," Sona said tersely. After a moment, she heard Issei grunt in agreement. Kiba was doing his best to keep them clustered in the same general area. Trying to draw as many of them as he could into the mouth of the trap. And, with the iron filings scattered around –

All at once, a dozen swords popped out of the earth around Kiba, thrust point-down into the turf. The Knight literally bounced out of the area, his attackers turning to track him visually –

And with a sweet laugh, Himejima Akeno demonstrated why she was nicknamed the "Priestess of Thunder." Her signature lightning magic streaked downward, attracted by the ferrous items Kiba had left littered around his opponents.

Some of them actually survived. But none of them were in any condition to continue the battle.

"We need to get to Viser," Sona said, as much to remind herself as to remind Issei and Reya. They made noises of agreement, and they kept moving.

-xxxx-

"Sona-chan, Viser's got something. It looks like one of those reinforced rolling suitcases." In the heat of battle, neither of them had noticed Issei lapsing into the more private form of addressing her.

"They've got her staying back out of the melee," Reya agreed. She was sticking close to Sona and keeping a magical shield active. "That acid-spraying technique she's using is surprisingly long-ranged, if she's not hitting her allies."

"Issei-kun, retrieve the suitcase," Sona ordered tersely. "Tsubasa, Kaori, back him up."

"Roger that!" Issei dashed forward at full speed, opening fire as he went. The _Rekka-dan_ detonations left blinding flashes of light and massive craters in the schoolyard, driving back the rogue exorcists that they didn't blow over.

"On it!" Tsubasa surged out on Issei's heels. Even if she lacked a Knight's speed, her athletic nature enabled her to keep pace with him, and she dispatched the sword-wielding exorcist on Issei's tail with a vicious chop. The next one took a fist charged with demonic energy to the nose, his head crumpling from the sheer power behind the punch.

Murayama just charged in without a word. Her bokken had been reinforced with magic, and was wreathed in demonic energy, making it a credible threat to even Fallen Angels. With a defiant cry, she drove it into the nearest rogue exorcist's gut, whirling the wooden sword up and around before bringing it crashing down on his head. Lights out.

Issei, heedless of the threats his friends were pruning out from behind him, had eyes only for the suitcase and the one holding it: Viser herself. The Stray Devil was looming up behind her allies, spraying acid from her nipples like a machine gun. Some distant part of Issei's mind was mortally offended by breasts being used for that. The firestorm of lactating acid paused as she noticed his approach. "You think you can take me down?" she sneered, her distorted voice ringing out like a warped church bell.

"Well, I figured I'd try," he said with a shrug, and opened fire. He'd been keeping mental track of his _Rekka-dan_ "clip," and he knew he was low, so these shots had to count. They were aimed at Viser's front legs, or the area around them.

The monster-like Stray Devil snarled and tried to writhe out of the way, but Issei's last shot was sure, and her left front leg all but disintegrated in a blossom of blue-white flame. She shrieked as she sank to the ground, and the Rook leapt up and drove his left fist into her face with all his might. She was sent sprawling, colliding hard with the wall.

"Ise!"

"Ise-chan!"

It was amazing how much their abrupt presence seemed to energize him. The flickering flames around his hands blazed back up to full strength, and he threw himself at the Stray Devil again. Viser's shrieks became louder, more desperate, as his fists found her again, this time wreathed in flames that licked her flesh away. Her body lurched again, and Issei became vaguely aware that Murayama had shattered the Stray Devil's other front leg, partially immobilizing her.

"We'll just be taking this, thank you..." Tsubasa hefted the rolling suitcase like it was an empty grocery bag. She signaled to Tomoe, who had just finished subduing another rogue exorcist, and pitched it like a baseball. Sona's other Knight scrambled to catch it.

"Don't get so far ahead of us next time," Murayama said, panting for a moment.

Issei heard the worried chiding in her voice, and had to smile. "Fine, fine, I won't." He looked down at Viser. "Had enough?"

"Fuck you!" she snarled. Her once-beautiful face was a mass of bruises and third-degree burns, and one eye was swollen shut, but her voice was still defiant.

Tsubasa and Murayama exchanged glances, and lunged. A moment later, Viser was screaming again, as the Rook and Knight took her back legs out of play. Issei hopped back as they moved, resuming a _Rekka-dan_ stance and keeping his finger-guns trained on the Stray Devil's face.

"F-fine..." Viser finally managed, voice laced with pain and defeat. "I surrender."

"Kaichou, she's surrendered," Tsubasa called out.

"Has she?" Sona's voice was chilly with contempt. "It would be one thing, had you surrendered in the first place. But you fled to the Fallen Angels."

Rias nodded solemnly. "That could be considered _treason_."

What was left of Viser's face suddenly paled in terror. "N-no..."

Sona looked towards the surviving Fallen Angels. "Which of you is the senior one?"

A blonde girl dressed in EGL fashion sighed and said, "I suppose that's me right now." She was in little position to argue, seeing that Tsubaki had the blade of her naginata pressed up against her throat and wreathed in demonic flame.

Aika was beside her, looking rather pleased with herself. Somehow, the Pawn had half-encased the other Fallen Angel up to his neck in an impenetrable mound of dirt. The lilac-haired man looked rather perturbed, and understandably so.

"Did you promise this Stray Devil sanctuary?" Sona asked coldly.

"We agreed to discuss terms," she said carefully. "We hadn't come to an agreement yet."

"Bitch!" Viser cried out.

"That suitcase she was carrying..." the blonde started to say.

"We'll be taking possession of that," Rias said, her tone brooking no argument. "In exchange, we'll let you take your… associates and leave, and we'll won't mention this to Azazel." Sona looked less than pleased at the last part of the offer, but didn't argue. She gestured to Aika and Tsubaki, who released their captives but didn't relax their guard.

The blonde Fallen Angel didn't look happy with it either. She nodded, though, nodding to her companion. The tall man with long lilac hair shrugged, and began summoning teleportation circles.

"We'll let you deal with her," the blonde added, nodding towards Viser. "We got what we wanted, anyway."

"You'll regret leaving me like this," Viser seethed.

"Oh, I _already_ regret dealing with you," Blondie shot back as she stepped into her own circle. Within minutes, the Academy's campus was clear of the Fallen Angels and their mooks.

All eyes turned back towards Viser.

"W-wait..." she protested weakly.

"Issei-kun. If you would, please." Sona's voice was calmer now, but he could still hear the anger in it.

"I'll make this quick," Issei told Viser. He wasn't surprised by the brief flash of guilt. No, it was that he wasn't feeling _guiltier_.

Before she could start pleading, he opened fire at point-blank range. From that close, with no resistance, the _Rekka-dan_ blew her head apart.

Eventually, he was aware of Sona resting a hand on his arm. Her violet eyes peered at him concernedly. "Let's go," she said softly.

Issei let out a breath, letting his flames die out, and reached for her hand. She squeezed back, and he let her pull him away from the battleground.

-xxxx-

"They actually had Sacred Gears here?" Rias said wonderingly. "From the people they killed?" The two peerages were holding a brief post-mortem in the Student Council office, before dismissing to grab a late dinner. Tsubaki had suggested they actually look in the damned suitcase, and what they found - in a strictly material sense - justified what they had experienced this evening.

"It appears that way," Sona sighed, then straightened up. "Not that they'll get any use out of them now." The two high-class Devils shared a knowing smirk.

"The idea that they have ways of extracting them won't help me sleep at night," Tsubaki said sourly. "I feel uneasy enough that we do. And, that we have no idea who they were taken from…"

"It bothers me as well," Sona agreed. "But there is little we can do about that, and we may as well benefit." She shifted her gaze towards Rias. "There are three that we managed to recover. Because you helped us subdue them on school grounds, I'll give you one."

"Hmm…" Rias didn't sound fully satisfied with that. After a moment, she countered, "Only if _I_ get to choose the one I take."

Sona nodded curtly. Issei was pretty sure that was what she'd anticipated from the beginning, though. His fiancee was a drop-dead brilliant girl, who just happened to be beautiful.

Rias gestured to the office's coffee table. "Let's see what you have."

Sona opened the gym bag and extracted the recovered Sacred Gears, setting them on the Student Council office's coffee table.. For all that they had been fought over, the objects didn't look very impressive: a pendant-sized silver sword, a blue marble-like sphere whose surface shone oddly, and what looked like a case for contact lenses.

Rias pulled out the case that Ajuka had sent up with Serafall, and extracted what looked like a barcode scanner. She thumbed it on, and first pointed it at the blue marble. A harsh red light swept over its surface, not unlike a mortal scanning laser.

"Accessing Sacred Gear database," the scanner announced. "Searching archives… match found. Mid-tier state-change Sacred Gear, Momentum Pillage. Also known as 'Impetuous Thief of Alacrity.' Derived from a cast-off jewel from Divine Dividing, and manifests as a small blue sphere when unattuned to a bearer. Sacred Gear drains speed from an opponent and transfers it to the bearer."

"Divine Dividing?" Aika wondered.

"Divine Dividing is a Longinus," Rias explained quickly. "Those are the most powerful Sacred Gears, said to be capable of killing even gods. It has the soul of the Vanishing Dragon, Albion, inside it." She glanced at Issei. "Some high-tier Sacred Gears are said to have the potential to develop into Longinuses, Hyoudou-kun. Yours is one of them."

Issei raised both eyebrows. "No wonder that Raynare wanted my head."

Akeno whistled softly. "My, my. Imagine how useful this would be for Kiba-kun or Koneko-chan, Rias."

"Indeed," the redhead agreed, looking speculatively at the tiny sphere. She turned the scanner towards the small case.

"Accessing Sacred Gear database. Searching archives… match found. High-tier attribute/elemental Sacred Gear, Storm Dancer. Also known as 'Luminous Gale of the Firmament.' Manifests as a pair of blue contact lenses when unattuned to a bearer. When attuned, manifests as a permanent bluish tinge to the bearer's eyes, and as a faint aura of static electricity surrounding the bearer when active. Sacred Gear allows its bearer to use electrokinesis reflexively to enhance defensive and offensive actions, as well as enhancing the usage of lightning and thunder magic, and exercises limited control over the weather."

Rias looked at Storm Dancer in pleased surprise. "Well, then. I can think of some good uses for this one, as well." She exchanged smiles with Akeno, and then eyed the last item, as if she had some idea of what it was, and played the scanner's light across it.

"Accessing Sacred Gear database," it announced helpfully. "Searching archives… match found. Mid-tier creation/elemental Sacred Gear, Mind's Edge. Also known as the 'Sword of Unshattered Will.' Manifests as a plain-looking sword's hilt when unattuned. Allows bearer to create a photokinetic blade from their own spiritual energy, and wield it with the hilt. The blade thusly created is superior to the mass-produced Holy weapons used by Church Exorcists, though still inferior to a true Holy Sword. Blades thusly created have manipulable lengths and appearances, as does the hilt once attuned."

Tomoe whistled. "I like the sound of that."

Issei began, "So, it's the Sacred Gear equivalent of - "

"Don't say it, please," Sona said quickly.

"But it is, though," Issei mumbled. He didn't actually say the word, though, and Sona settled for giving him a mild old-fashioned look. (Reya got one as well, for stage-whispering "Use the Force, Luke" at Issei.)

Rias eyed Mind's Edge longingly, then smiled resignedly. "I only have the one Knight, and Yuuto already possesses Sword Birth. If it were Blade Blacksmith, I'd claim it in a heartbeat, but…" She shrugged. "I'll take Storm Dancer." She plucked the contact lens case from the coffee table, and turned towards Akeno. "When we get back, we'll see about attuning it to you."

The elegant Queen nodded, her smile turning slightly sadistic. Issei had a suspicion she was already thinking about the damage she could do to her chosen targets with that. He decided to do everything he could to avoid being one of them.

"Then we'll take possession of these," Sona agreed, shifting her gaze towards her Knights. "Tomoe, you'll receive Mind's Edge. Kaori, we'll arrange for something more specifically for you soon, but I believe Tomoe will be willing to loan you her katana in the interim."

Tomoe grinned excitedly, and nodded in agreement. Kaori answered, "I can live with that."

"As for Momentum Pillage, I think Tsubasa will get the most use out of it" the Student Council president decided. Tsubasa perked up, and she and Issei fist-bumped.

"Sounds like a good place to call it a day," Rias noted, and rose. "I'll touch base with you tomorrow?"

"Certainly," Sona replied, and saw the ORC president and her peerage to the door. Once they were gone, she turned back towards her own servants. "She has a point. Head on home."

Issei waited until the others had left, watching her stow the remaining Sacred Gears in the suitcase. "Want me to get that for you?" he offered.

She nodded. "Thank you." As he set it down and extended its handle, she reached for his free hand, interlacing her fingers with his. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, I think. Calmer, at least. Less like I… committed murder." Issei _did_ look more controlled now, but clearly the night's events were still weighing on him. "I'm actually a little bothered about Viser… it's not that I didn't feel guilty. It's that I felt _less_ guilty than I expected."

"You didn't commit murder, Issei-kun," Sona told him, her tone reassuring yet insistent. "The Grigori agents initiated the hostilities, and sustained them. And Viser? The chances that she would quietly surrender and go back to the Underworld were always slim." She reached up, tipping his chin down so she could look up into his eyes. "At worst, you were a soldier in a battle today. And none of those around you were noncombatants. You're no murderer, Hyoudou Issei."

He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh, and finally nodded. "I may need you to keep telling me that for awhile, Sona-chan."

"I will." Sona's look that was firm and resolute, and no less loving for all that. "My peerage does not commit murder, or atrocities. That doesn't mean that we won't kill if necessary. Things like today will happen again, Issei-kun."

"I know," he told her, his expression mildly rueful. "Intellectually, I did know that. The reality hadn't really sunken in."

"It's understandable. But you've done nothing wrong. Trust me." Sona sighed. "I think I should probably have a similar talk with Kaori and Aika tomorrow."

"Might be a good idea," Issei admitted. "Kaori-san's family has a kenjutsu background, so she may have some idea of how to deal with it. I dunno about Aika-san, though." He smiled slightly, his body language showing that he was starting to genuinely relax. "Thanks for… y'know. Hearing me out."

"Always," Sona told him. "Things like these take adjusting to. Honestly, I would be far more worried if you'd felt nothing, or had _enjoyed_ that." She cocked her head. "Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are," he said, holding her hand tightly.

"Now, let's go watch a movie made by people who have no idea how the Internet works," she said with a wry smile.

"You always know the perfect thing to say," he chuckled, tugging her towards the door.

* * *

Saturday:

"So, where do you want to go tonight?" Issei asked.

"I'm open to suggestions," Sona replied with a sardonic smile. It had been a half-Saturday at school, and most of the early afternoon had been spent on Council business. Now, they were walking back to Issei's house together, openly holding hands. "You have something in mind, Issei-kun?"

"Get changed and hop the train to Tokyo?" he suggested. "Maybe hit Akiba for dinner and karaoke."

"Mmm. I could be persuaded," she said, her eyes slightly mischievous.

"Hmm, really?" Issei's grin turned mischievous too. He started to speak, then paused as his phone started playing the last verse from "Year of the Cat." His brows knit, and he pulled out his phone, answering it. "Tou-san?"

He paused, then said, "You guys are home, then? Yeah, Sona-chan and I are just about there."

Another pause, then he said uncomfortably, "We didn't have anything set in stone. Why, what's up?"

Sona cocked her head, looking at him curiously as they walked. "Well, we'll see you in a minute, and talk about it… right, be right there." He hung up, looking bemused.

"Everything okay?" Sona asked, her eyebrows knitting. "And that's kind of an old song…"

"It's tou-san's favorite. Think it reminds him of an old girlfriend or something," Issei answered distractedly. "And yeah, probably. I just hate it when tou-san gets vague and sounds like he thinks he's clever." Issei made a face. "The guest they're talking about is with them, and I guess they really want us to meet her."

"It's probably nothing, Issei-kun," Sona advised him. "They did say she's a family friend, after all. It's probably someone you haven't seen in years." By this point, they had reached his front door.

"Guess so," he replied with a shrug as he unlocked the door. They stepped inside, Issei calling out, "Kaa-san, tou-san, we're home!"

"Welcome home, son!" Gorou's voice rang out cheerfully. "Come into the living room, we have someone we want you to meet." Issei and Sona exchanged glances as they doffed their shoes, and entered the living room.

Gorou and Rio sat on the couch, looking little the worse for wear. For some reason, Issei's father's hair seemed oddly windblown, but both of them seemed to be in good spirits. Beside them sat a pretty young blonde woman, roughly Issei's age. She wore a simple-looking white blouse and green skirt, and smiled nervously. Her green eyes were friendly, but the nervousness in them matched her smile.

"Have a seat, you two," Rio urged them. As Issei and Sona did so, she turned towards the blonde girl. "Asia-chan, this is our son Issei, and his fiancee Sona. I think you probably met him a long time ago, when your aunt brought you here that one time. Issei, Sona-chan, this is Asia Argento."

"Nice to meet you, Asia-chan," Issei said, feeling oddly awkward. Something about the girl _was_ oddly familiar. The memory was oddly murky and slippery, though, defying his attempts to get a grip on it. "This is Sona-chan."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Asia-san," Sona said cordially.

"N-nice to meet you both as well," Asia replied, bobbing her head awkwardly.

"Asia-chan is the niece of an old friend of ours," Rio explained. For a moment, an odd… something flashed through her eyes, as if a bad memory had reared its head. "She'll be staying with us for awhile, and we'd like to test her for attending Kuoh as well."

"We can probably arrange that," Sona said, before looking back at Asia. "I'm the Student Council president, and Issei-kun is on the Council as well."

Issei nodded. "I'd be happy to help you study for the tests."

Rio nodded in approval. "Asia-chan will be with us for a while, Issei, so if you could be kind of a big brother to - Issei?"

Issei blinked. _That_ felt so familiar, sounded so familiar -

" _You'll be a good big brother to Asia, won't you, Issei-chan?" A woman with long, blonde hair, a gentle smile, an unusual accent -_

"Issei-kun?"

"Issei?"

Issei blinked again, suddenly aware of everyone's eyes on him. Where had that come from?

"Ah, sorry, zoned out for a minute," he said awkwardly. "Um, yeah, sure. I'll do that." He gave Asia a grin, adding, "I guess that makes Sona-chan your big sister."

"Indeed it does," Sona said, giving Issei a sideways look of concern. After watching him for a moment, apparently satisfying herself he was okay now, she turned back towards Asia. "Feel free to count on us."

Asia's smile lost its nervousness, brightening considerably. "Sure! Thank you!"

-xxxx-

As night fell over Kuoh, a man stood on one of the hills overlooking it. His features were handsome, but the self-impressed sneer detracted from his looks. He had grayish-white hair in an uneven bowl cut and cerise eyes, and wore the clothes of a Church Exorcist. Those clothes were rather worn-looking by this point, but that seemed of little importance to him.

"Kuoh," he said in a tone that matched his sneer. "Just wait, you shitty devils." That sneer broadened into a leer. "Just wait, Asia."

* * *

Notes:

Remember what I said about this waiting until after the New Year? Well… my muse wouldn't shut up. I'll try and keep Chapter 4 shorter, though; hopefully, that'll get it out faster!

We've reached a point where divergences from the canon will be getting more blatant. (I suppose we crossed that bridge when Issei and Sona first kissed, but still.) Be ready to see the timeline of events, and how they unfold, get shaken up.

The choice of Issei's Sacred Gear in this fic is something that I've debated for awhile. I was strongly tempted to go with one I'd created for another fanfic, or with Star Buster Star Blaster (another Neo-Longinus). In the end, though, Unknown Dictator fits this version of Issei's personality best, and introduces some interesting possibilities. You'll be seeing those soon!

Momentum Pillage is borrowed with permission from Arumage's _Frost King's Journey_. Storm Dancer is basically a less powerful, more specialized version of Zenith Tempest. Mind's Edge is based almost entirely on the Jurai energy swords from _Tenchi Muyo!_

The chapter title comes from Phoenix's "1901." The movie quote that sets Issei and Sona off in snickers is from _Sneakers_ (which is a worthwhile watch despite its depiction of technology), and is part of an absolutely beautiful exchange between David Strathairn and James Earl Jones' characters ("I want peace on Earth, and goodwill towards men." "We're the United States government! We don't _do_ that sort of thing."). Sona's dress when she and Issei go to dinner is the same one from the abortive engagement party in Season 1's last episode. (And I know I'm playing a little fast and loose with how "Azure Conflagration Princess" translates, but "Aoikaji" means something very similar, and the literal translation is less pithy.)

The titles for the lemon scenes come from Janet Jackson's "The Body That Loves You" and Matt Nathanson's "Come On Get Higher," respectively. I've done my best to strike a balance between hot/sexy, "young couple in love"-type mushy, and youthful inexperience. (A case could probably be made for Issei and Sona having been more chaste, I'll admit. But Sona's very smart, and so is this version of Issei, and I can see them managing risks reasonably well (particularly Sona, who likely has contingency plans for her contingency plans). Besides, positing that Rias's post-Riser canon behavior with Issei is typical of an (effectively) engaged high-class Devil, Sona and Issei are _still_ being rather well-behaved…)

Next Time: Chapter 4: I'm Living For Giving The Devil Her Due

"Think you can keep up with me, boy?"

* * *

 _Lemon Scene 1: So Come Get This Body That Loves You_

Issei's dubious look vanished, and he perked up, while trying not to look like he'd perked up. Sona had to stifle a chuckle. She was still trying to keep things from progressing too far, too fast… but there were levels between "chaste kiss" and "breaking the bedframe," and there was no harm in exploring them.

She stood, and he did as well, and their mouths came together again eagerly. Her fingers curled into the fabric of his shirts, threatening to tear them, while his fingers slid down her waist and onto her rump, teasing the hem of her skirt upward and playing with the thin fabric of her panties.

She squirmed as he did so, breathing in his scent. Both of them had showered this evening before eating dinner, though not together (regrettably). The smell of his clean body, combined with a hint of sweat, simultaneously relaxed and excited her. More to the point, even though his fingers weren't anywhere near her mound (yet), she was soaking wet. After all, she hadn't gotten off during the previous night, and she _knew_ he hadn't.

She intended to correct that.

"Can I take off your skirt?" he murmured against her mouth. She could feel him pressing against her thighs, and the urge to break the bedframe with him spiked again before she managed to reel it back in. _Why bother with the bedroom, the couch'll work just fine..._ flitted through her mind as well, and it took some effort to push it away.

"Please," she whispered back. She shivered in pleasure as he gently unzipped and pushed down her skirt. His fingers slid underneath her panties, gently kneading her rump, and she squirmed even more, pressing against him as hard as she could.

He groaned loudly before he could recover the ability to speak. "You're so beautiful," he said softly. "I think I've wanted you since the first time we talked…"

"I think I feel the same," she replied with equal gentleness. It might not have been true in the sexual sense, not initially, but there had been something undeniable about him. The blend of intelligence, gawky cuteness, and cheerful verve had kindled something in her, and it hadn't taken long for talking to him to become a highlight of her day. Now, he was so handsome to her that she could barely stand it.

She was still willing enough to share him, with the right women. Like, for example, certain members of her peerage. She'd long since determined the factors that would allow her to live with that. But she was still ( _was_ , in fact, by the informal conventions of Devil society) the senior wife, and she'd invoke _that_ to get his undivided attention whenever she damned well pleased.

That train of thought was derailed by his mouth working its way down her neck, and her fingers curled tighter into his overshirt. "Stop… let me get your shirts off, anata…" She let out a shaky breath, and added. "Let's move to the bedroom, too."

"Yeah," he agreed, his breathing equally ragged. "Bedroom."

They made their way through the doorway, leaving both his shirts along the hallway, along with the school shirt of his that she'd pilfered. He drew down the straps of her bra as they stumbled along, fumbling with the hooks for a full minute before finally working them free.

Sona shrugged the bra off, causing Issei to stare, motionless. She rolled her eyes gently and recaptured his mouth with hers, nudging him backwards into the bedroom.

They managed to reach the bed before toppling over onto it, facing each other and panting. Sona's glasses were slightly askew, and from the way Issei watched her, it was clear he was torn between finding her disheveled look adorable and wanting to finish stripping her. She jump-started his brain with another hard kiss, reaching one hand down to the bulge in his jeans. "You've been like this all day, haven't you?" she murmured against his lips.

"God, yes," Issei moaned, moving as best he could against her hand. "Sona-chan…"

She undid his belt and zipper, pushing his fly open enough to expose his full length. A shaky sigh of anticipation worked its way loose from her throat as she touched it. For the umpteenth time since she had found herself in love with Hyoudou Issei, the urge to take him inside her screamed like a banshee in her ear. At least she was now in a position to do _something_ with it, she reminded herself. The days until he was buried to the hilt inside her, while her legs were wrapped around him, were a small number, perhaps even down to single digits.

"W-wait," he said softly. "Let me take care of you first, Sona-chan."

"You sure?" she asked. The thought of it made her tingle even more, but she had a good feeling how painful his erection had to be by now.

"It's one of the first things I learned from the Internet," he actually managed to say with a half-strangled laugh, and Sona's lips curled upwards in a loving smile. "Take care of me after?"

"Whatever you want, anata," she told him with complete sincerity. If he wished to press the issue tonight, he could have her outright. She knew he wouldn't, though, and that made her all the more determined to give him everything she could short of that.

"Thanks. I've been wanting to try this with you… been jerking off thinking about it…" Issei admitted, as he slowly slid off the bed and knelt between her legs.

"I, as well," Sona said with a smile. "I'm afraid I was thinking about it today…" She'd been tempted to hike up her skirt while talking today, expose her panties and how damp they were. To show everyone in her peerage - especially Issei - how much she longed for him, how ready she was for his touch. She _wouldn't_ , of course, but she did feel the desire.

"These are such cute panties, Sona-chan," he said with a smile in his voice. He started kissing at her outer left thigh, kissing and licking his way inward. Meanwhile, he caressed her through the flimsy material of her panties. "I can't keep my hands off you…" He pressed harder through the already-wet silk, partially working one finger into her through the panties.

"M-me either…" Sona moaned and fidgeted under his touch. The panties she wore were silk, and skimpier than she was used to. She'd bought several pairs with matching bras months before, right after she had begun coaching Issei in chess. Advance planning paid off sometimes, part of her thought. The rest of her was too busy enjoying what he was doing.

Issei had finally licked and kissed his way to the juncture of her thighs. He didn't even bothering to push her panties aside, not yet. Instead, he began kissing and licking through her panties, starting at the periphery of her mound and working his way inward. The combined warmth and pressure of his mouth and the wet silk was threatening to make her writhing uncontrollable. His hands gently kept her thighs parted, tracing feather-light patterns with his thumbs while his mouth worked at her.

"Issei-kun," Sona groaned loudly. She fought to keep it from devolving into a whimper. At least, she would for as long as she could. Her nipples were painfully hard, aching to be touched. (The thought of Issei making middle-class, and qualifying to learn duplication magic, flashed through her head. It did nothing to calm her.)

He paused, his mouth pursed around her clit through her panties, and she could swear she heard him whisper her name against it. That sent an electric spark throughout her, and she could feel herself hovering on her brink.

This was _nothing_ like touching herself. She couldn't wait to do the same to him.

Issei paused, finally ( _finally_!) reaching for the panties' waistband and tugging them downward. He left them dangling around Sona's left ankle, and leaned in again, his mouth centimeters from her core.

"Anata…" Sona moaned. She was outright whimpering now. "Please…" Her entire body felt like it was on fire, the most pleasant flame she could imagine, and she was teetering.

"You're _perfect_ , Sona-chan," Issei murmured, his breath warm against her folds. He started licking her mound directly, starting at the base and working his way slowly up to her clit, and then again, and then again, and then once more, this time pursing his lips around her clit again and _sucking_ -

Sona's vision went a searing white, blood rushing in her ears like the tide, and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in an attempt to keep from screaming. Her body didn't lie: she arched her back and clenched her thighs _hard_ as she came, fingers tangling in Issei's hair even as her thighs tightened around his head. She could dimly feel him gasping for breath against her core, the very act sending aftershocks of pleasure rippling through her. As her vision returned and her heart slowed, she forced her thighs apart, and Issei slid to the ground, sucking in air desperately.

"My god," she murmured. "Oh Maou…" She realized her fiance was on the ground, recovering, and slid to the floor, kneeling beside him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine…" Issei said hoarsely. He grinned weakly, as color returned to his face, and said with slightly more strength, "I can't call myself a man if I can't make my wife come with my mouth, can I?"

"Your wife will try not to asphyxiate you next time," she said, a silly smile on her face. The fact that he called her his wife so easily delighted her. "I feel… Issei-kun, that was…" The Student Council president made a wordless gesture, trying to find the right words. Finally, she simply said, "I feel a _lot_ better now."

"Good!" Issei's grin was stronger now, although his face was still flushed. "Ah… if you're feeling better now…"

"I'll take care of you," she said, her smile turning into an affectionate smirk. "Stand up." As he did, she gently caressed him. From the way he twitched as she touched it, she suspected he was as ready as she had been.

She finished undressing Issei, and settled on her knees in front of him. She'd been prepared. She was eager. And now she fully understood why Aika had smirked on her way out of the apartment and told her "You're in for a treat."

"Here we go," she murmured, leaning in to start kissing her way along his length.

After all, Issei hadn't been the only one to learn things from the Internet.

Issei's throaty groan of mingled ache and bliss went through Sona like a shot of adrenaline. Her lips curled into a smile, and she slowly kissed her way from his base to his crown, his groans becoming gasps of pleasure.

"Sona-chan…" he panted, his fingers curling into her hair. His touch was gentle, but she could tell from his trembling that that was a tenuous state.

Sona met his eyes as she pursed her lips around his crown. The mingled love and naked desire in Issei's gaze made her feel almost drunk. She swirled her tongue around him for a moment, watching his eyes, and it was her turn for a surge of mingled pain/pleasure as his fingers tightened into her hair.

She drew back from his crown for a moment, her breath warming it while her fingers kept stroking him. This was something she could make a habit of, this way of taking care of each other at night. "Anata," she said softly, her gaze still locked onto his. "Where do you want to cum tonight? In my mouth?" She reached up to her breasts; her nipples were still aching. "On me?"

" _Inside_ you, Sona-chan…" Issei groaned softly. She shuddered in longing at the thought; Maou knew _that_ was what she wanted too. Moments like this made her wonder why she was even trying to keep a foot on the brakes.

"Soon, I promise," she reluctantly told him, kissing his crown. "But not tonight."

"T-then… your mouth… please…" he moaned, starting to thrust against her fingers.

"As you like, anata," Sona promised, pursing her mouth around his crown again. He shuddered in ecstasy again, and she reached out, grabbing his waist and pulling Issei close to her. This put his length right between her breasts, and she pressed them together gently, rubbing his shaft between them while she swirled her tongue around his glans.

This had been one thing she had been less than perfectly secure about. She had no doubts about her beauty, but when one's oldest friend was Rias Gremory, one tended to feel a little… unequipped. It has taken a little experimentation to make sure she was capable of it, but she was proving sufficient to the moment. She smiled silently around his crown, smugly satisfied as his groans grew louder, and his hips bucked against her flesh faster. His reactions told her she was doing it right.

Changed as Hyoudou Issei was, he was still something of a "breast man," and she knew he would appreciate this.

She was right. As she worked him, he began sputtering. "S-sona… I'm gonna…" So, instead of slowing down, she pumped him even harder between her breasts, sucking on him as if Hyoudou Issei were her favorite flavor of candy. (A part of her mind reflected that, in a sense, he kinda _was_.)

Issei came with a half-strangled sob of relief. He pulsed into Sona's mouth for what seemed like a century, his fingers tightened desperately into her hair. He tasted salty, with a hint more of sweetness than she'd expected.

She looked up at him, making sure his eyes were still on hers, and gulped it down.

"God, Sona…" Issei gasped, bliss in his voice and a sated smile on his face. His knees were a little wobbly, and his entire body seemed to sag a little as he came down from his release. (Most of it. Part of him looked like it could be coaxed into an encore.)

She smiled serenely up at him. It hadn't been a terrible flavor, although she found that she'd much rather he spill it on her body. Or inside her. _That_ thought continued to make her tingle. The edge, however, was clearly off for both of them, and that would be enough for them to get some rest.

Issei gently pulled Sona to her feet and kissed her, heedless of any lingering taste of himself in her mouth. The kiss was affectionate, promising warm arms to sleep in and more kisses in the morning light. Like his scent, it was welcome, and coming rapidly to represent home and happiness.

" _Now_ let's go to bed," he said with a silly smile. She returned it, tugging him towards the bed.

They settled in quickly, Sona nestling against Issei while he slipped an arm around her. The thought that they might cross the last line in the morning, overtaken with passion and sleepy lack of inhibition, occurred to her as she slid towards hypnagogia.

It also occurred to her that she'd be just fine with that.

* * *

 _Lemon Scene 2: Pull Me Down Hard, And Drown Me In Love_

The moment he set her on his bed, they were kissing, fingers working at each other's buttons and zippers. The mood was one of quiet eagerness as they stripped each other. By the time Issei slipped Sona's panties off, she was soaking wet, and he was so hard it was hurting. He reached between her legs, caressing her gently as she stroked him, and broke the kiss long enough to ease her onto her back, looming over her on his hands and knees. Her glasses were askew, her hair slightly disheveled, and her face flushed, while her body shone nearly white in the dim light.

He'd never seen anything – anyone – so beautiful. He said as much, and she drew him down for another kiss, and another, before breaking it suddenly. "Wait," she said softly, a small magical circle flaring to life. "Let me…"

"What is…" he started to ask.

"Contraception magic," she murmured, and smiled wryly. "I told you it was a thing, Issei-kun."

"Ah, yeah you did," Issei said, and he had to suck in a breath as his cock twitched. His first time with Sona would be _bareback…_ She'd told him that, true, but the reality of it went straight to his erection.

The magical circle dimmed to a faint glow on the back of her left hand. Sona nodded to herself.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I will be soon," she said, her smile almost impish. Just the fact that he got to see Sona Sitri make faces like that blew Issei's mind.

He gently parted her thighs, still caressing her. Her breath hitched as he did so, and she gave him a quick, jerky nod as he gave her a concerned look. His cock still twitching, he positioned himself, both of them letting out soft moans as his crown rubbed against her folds. "Ready when you are," he said hoarsely. "Tell me if…" He trailed off, not at all sure how to verbalize it.

She gave him another jerky nod, drew a deep breath, and said quietly, "Go ahead."

He pushed forward, slipping slowly into her, and oh _god_ she felt like nothing he could have imagined. Sona's breath hitched again, her eyes half-lidding, and she reached up, nails digging gently into Issei's back. She nodded up at him again, and he slid in further. He hadn't thought she could feel better, but here she was, and –

Sona suddenly winced, and Issei stopped and drew back, contrite and kicking himself. "Oh god, I'm sorry," he whispered.

She shook her head sharply. "It's okay," she whispered back. "It's passing. Go slow again, please, anata?" The brief flash of pain seemed to be leaving her eyes.

He nodded quickly, pushing back in again even more slowly. She was still wet, and he suppressed a groan at how she felt around him. Sona's face had relaxed, and her eyes half-closed again, and this time she let out a pleased moan. "Ohh… Issei-kun…"

"Sona-chan," he gasped. She felt better than anything ever had. Even better than the blowjobs she seemed to enjoy giving (much to his pleased surprise). "Wait, let me – " Something he'd read, about keeping her clit stimulated while thrusting. He shifted slightly, so that he was riding up slightly on her pelvis. "Let's try this…" He tried thrusting at that angle, and this time Sona cried out louder.

"There we go," he said softly, kissing her again. She kissed back eagerly, wrapping her long legs around his. Now that both of them seemed to be enjoying themselves, the drumbeat of his own aching arousal returned to Issei's forebrain. He resumed thrusting steadily and, as if reading his mind, Sona started meeting them with her own, her fingernails tightening into his back. They bucked their hips against each other, time and again, and their noises of pleasure began to intertwine.

"Anata… anata, I love you…" Sona gasped against his ear as their bodies moved together.

"Me too… love you too, Sona-chan," Issei groaned. He felt like he was melting in sheer pleasure, his nerves afire in the most delicious way. Sona surrounded him, warm and wet and snug, and the way she called for him was both balm and fire to him.

All too soon, that drumbeat resurfaced in his mind, that awareness of nearing the brink, and he mentally scrambled to speak. "Sona-chan… I'm gonna…"

"Me too," she told him, her eyes squeezed shut as her body moved frantically against his. "Let's… together…" She reached out with one hand, grabbing one of his and squeezing it almost tightly enough to fracture something.

"Yeah, with you…" One last thrust, into her as far as he could, and he let out a gasping moan as he came. His vision went blank for a moment, a noise like the tide ringing in his ears, as he pulsed and pulsed inside her. She tightened around him at the same time, her cry of release almost unrecognizable. He was distantly aware of her fingernails piercing his skin, but that hardly seemed important.

Eventually, their bodies relaxed, unwound from being stretched bowstring-taut at the critical moment. Issei gently slipped out of Sona and turned over, carefully wrapping his arms around her. He laid on his side and drew her close, orienting her so that her head rested against his chest. She nestled against him, making a soft sound of satisfaction.

In the sated silence, Sona found her voice first, and her tone was amused. "You're still hard, aren't you?"

"Yeah…" Issei admitted with a self-deprecating laugh. "Don't suppose you…"

"Give me a little bit," she said, reaching down and gingerly touching him. "I'm not used to having something like _this_ inside me," she added playfully. "But… there's a reason I said we'd be missing the first two classes." Her smile left no doubt that the two of them would need that extra time for rest.

-xxxx-

"Morning." Issei couldn't help wearing a shit-eating grin.

"Morning." Sona looked rather smugly satisfied herself. "What time is it?"

Issei craned his neck so he could see his clock. "Looks like… six-forty. Surprised we woke up this early."

"Indeed," she agreed. Particularly since "one more round" had been followed by one more… The last Sona remembered seeing the clock was around two A.M., while Issei's head had been between her thighs again, and the time had been the last thing on her mind just then

"Back to sleep?" His grin widened, and he pressed closer again meaningfully. "Or…"

"Mmm. Well, I suppose I'd better take care of _that_ before we get up," she replied in a mock-thoughtful tone, stirring her hips against his. She stretched and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Just to make sure you have a clear head at school today."

"Of course," he agreed as their lips met.


	6. Interlude: Took the Midnight Dragon

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. (If I owned it, Kiba would have started dual-wielding lightsabers at some point.)

In addition, this fanfiction borrows elements from _Arifureta_ (property of Shirakome Ryo, J-Novel Club, Seven Seas Entertainment, White Fox, and Asread), _Recovery of an MMO Junkie_ (property of Kokuyō Rin, Comico, and Signal MD), _Great Teacher Onizuka_ (property of Fujisawa Tohru, _Weekly Shonen Magazine_ , Animax, and Fuji Television), and _Tenjou Tenge_ (property of Ito "Oh! Great" Ōgure, Shueisha, and TV Asahi).

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Fluff/silliness warning. Violence warning. Author's musical tastes warning.

Chapter title taken from Journey's "Dont' Stop Believin'" (and then mangled because the author is trying to be clever). Gorou's ki-hardened rainfall technique is based on Ishiyumi Tessen's "Water Bullet" technique from _Tenjou Tenge_.

* * *

 _Interlude: Took the Midnight (Train)_ _Dragon Going Anywhere_

* * *

Rio picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Rio?"

Rio froze, staring at the phone's base station. _This_ was a voice she had never expected to hear again. " _Dulio_?"

"Yeah… hi." His voice was contrite. That did absolutely nothing to dilute her sudden spike of anger.

"Of all the - you have some nerve - "

" _Please_!" Dulio's voice was frantic, urgent. "It's about Daria's niece!"

Rio's heart stopped for a moment. An image flashed through her mind, an adorable girl with long blonde hair and green eyes, nearly the spitting image of her aunt. "What's happened?"

"She's been excommunicated," he said dully.

"She _what_?! And why aren't _you_ doing something about this?!"

"Grigori moved too fast."

"So talk to Penny, then," Rio replied testily.

"Penny didn't know until I told her…"

"Penny knows _everything_ that happens in Grigori… unless…" Rio trailed off. When you combined this news with what had happened to Issei… the word "schism" came to mind. This would benefit absolutely no one who was sane. Unfortunately, Grigori had more than its share of people whose relationship with sanity was, at best, tenuous.

"Yeah. 'Unless.'" Dulio's tone was grim.

"...do you have her last known location?"

"Forwarding it to your mobile now." He paused, then blurted out, "...I'm sorry, Rio. If I could do more - "

" _Don't_ , Dulio. Just _don't_." Rio knew she was being terribly unfair. That didn't mean she could stop herself. "You _promised_ Daria! You promised her Asia-chan would be taken care of, and _this_ is the best you can do?"

" _You think I don't know that?!_ " The sheer anguish in the exorcist's voice took the wind out of her sails, and she sighed.

"...okay. I'll call Gorou-kun, and we'll get ready. Can you call Penny?"

"Already done." He sounded relieved, or at least like the burden wasn't just on _his_ shoulders more.

Rio paused, then said softly. "Dulio… be safe."

"Yeah. You too, Rio. I hope Issei is - "

"He's fine. As fine as can be expected. He's engaged to a Devil girl now."

"...I gotcha. Take care, Rio."

 _Click._

* * *

Tenryuu Financial was a small but prosperous brokerage firm based in Kuoh. Among its employees, Hyoudou Gorou didn't really stand out, despite having been there since it was founded. He was senior enough to have a position that came with an office, and competent enough to _keep_ it, but that was all that could really be said for him. He was, as far as his coworkers were concerned, just a normal middle-aged salaryman, content to while away the time at his desk half-assing paperwork and not-so-secretly reading fishing magazines.

It would have blown their minds to realize he actually owned the joint.

Like many a dragon before him, Gorou eschewed the hassle of actually publicly running an organization. He settled for burying himself under several layers of proxy executives, most of whom had no idea they were glorified figureheads. Meanwhile, he drew an executive's salary and exercised stock options. It was an easy enough way to launder the wealth that a dragon's scales could reap in the supernatural markets.

(Gorou had set up a tidy nest egg for Issei in the same way. For a while, it had looked like he and Rio would end up spending that on defense attorneys, but their son had turned things around admirably, particularly with his new fiancee's help. The fact that the two of them were fooling around under his roof every night wasn't a matter of importance. After all, both he and Rio had been up to worse when they were Issei's age, before they'd even met each other.)

And so it was that Tenryuu Financial's _real_ boss was reading the latest issue of _Fly Fisher_ when his office phone rang. He hit the speaker button. "Hyoudou here."

"Gorou-kun?"

"Rio?" _That_ was unusual, for her to call directly during the day. Texts or LINE messages were one thing, but…

"Pick up, please." Her tone was worried, terse, and he grabbed for the receiver.

"What's going on, Rio?" He asked.

"Dulio just called," she said, and he froze for a moment. They hadn't spoken to Dulio Gesualdo in nearly three years, not since his last attempt to patch things up had resulting in Kuroka destroying a Yokohama shopping arcade. "He said Asia-chan's been kicked out of the church, and that she's been snapped up by Grigori."

Gorou closed his eyes for a long moment. It took him that long to find words again. "Has he talked to Penemue, then?"

"She had no idea until he told her. And _he_ had no idea what had happened to Asia-chan until he went to check on her."

Gorou forced himself to calm. It was a technique he'd been working on since he was a young dragon. By now, it usually took effect quickly. This time, it took a full minute and change. "...we're going after her, I assume."

"Dulio gave me her last-known location, and he's talked to Penny. She'll be opening us a circle as soon as we're ready."

"I'm heading home now," Gorou told her tersely.

"I'll see you soon," she said, and hung up.

Hyoudou Gorou's coworkers were very, very surprised ten minutes later to see the normally easygoing salaryman rush out at a frantic pace, only pausing to tell his supervisor that he had a family emergency.

* * *

"The Leviathan, in our house. That's a little scary," Gorou commented. After leaving the house, they had walked several blocks to find an alley that was typically deserted in the evenings. "At least she approves of Issei."

"Yes. That certainly beats the alternative," Rio said firmly. "It could always be worse, too. Imagine if the Gremory heiress had set her sights on him too…" She took her bundle by the shoulder strap, and looked sideways at her husband. "...so, about our ride…"

As if waiting for her words, a teleportation circle flared to life before them.

"Penny always did have a sense of timing," Gorou joked, and gave his wife an after-you gesture. She smirked and stepped through, her husband on her heels.

The two of them emerged in a dimly-lit room. Sitting there at a table was a beautiful woman with long purple hair. Her modest robes did little to obscure her voluptuous figure, a fact that both Gorou and Rio were well aware of. She rose to greet them, smiling wanly. "Gorou, Rio. It's been too long."

"Yes, it has." Rio embraced Penemue first, with Gorou following suit immediately thereafter. "Where is she?"

"Latvia," Penemue told them, then held up a hand. "Don't go rushing in there."

"I'm sorry, what?" Gorou looked at her incredulously. "You want us to leave her in there?!"

"There's a reason," Penemue said. "I'm almost certain that the person running this op, Raynare, is part of this… schism in Grigori. This is a good chance to take her and get information out of her."

"Was she in Kuoh last week?" Rio asked bluntly.

"Rio – "

"Penny, was she?" Gorou asked, quietly but insistently. It was clear he was trying to head off an explosion from his wife. Considering her background, it could be quite literal.

"Yes. She was," Penemue answered with equal bluntness. "You'll have your shot at her, and to get Asia. I promise. But I also want you two to wait three days before striking."

" _What_?! But – " Gorou grabbed Rio's hand, squeezing it hard until he was sure she was past the point of cratering the room. He felt brief licks of flame at his palm and gritted his teeth. Being a dragon made your human form more resistant to fire, it was true. But, then, most dragons weren't married to Japan's most powerful pyrokinetic…

"If it looks like Asia is in serious danger, then you have my permission." Penemue's expression barely flickered, but it was clear she had at least a solid guess as to what was happening between the two of them. "But it will take at least two days to shift around the forces I'll need to shut Raynare down fast and hard. I could move faster, but that would risk tipping our hand, and while she may not notice, whoever's pulling her strings probably will."

"You sound like you have a candidate in mind," Rio observed, gently pulling her hand free of Gorou's. She seemed to be calmer now, and her tone was more thoughtful than anything else.

"I do." Penemue didn't elaborate. She really didn't need to.

"Fine. We'll give you till Saturday morning, and if you don't move by then, we will," Rio declared.

"Midnight, Zulu time?"

"We do enjoy night maneuvers," Gorou said with a smirk.

Both women rolled their eyes. The mild innuendo seemed to have lightened the mood slightly, though.

"Midnight Zulu is fine," Rio answered.

"Tell us a little more about Raynare," Gorou said.

"As an operative and a team leader, she's very competent," Penemue explained. "But she has some glaring psychological issues, mostly from an exaggerated sense of self-importance and severe control issues." She let out a reluctant sigh. "Neither of those are exactly _uncommon_ among Grigori members, I'll admit. But she takes the latter, especially, to notable heights. Her instinct is to double down, rather than admit defeat, or even that she's fallible. If you don't know her, it's easy to think she's an impulsive idiot." She snorted. "Even if you _do_ know her, it's hard not to think that."

* * *

Three days' worth of tracking, even with low-key assistance from Grigori and Dulio. They hadn't budged from the ruined mansion in Latvia, on the edge of a forest. Clearly, they were waiting for something, or someone.

Penemue was right; Raynare was competent at running a covert op. She was also right about her control issues, judging from what Rio had overheard from her discreet scrying spell.

"Mikaelsen won't be showing up anytime soon," Gorou said dryly. The werewolf and underworld broker had been restrained in his Prague estate with the surest kind of bondage: that of a massive cash bribe. It was a drop in Grigori's bucket – the _actual_ Grigori, not whatever rogue splinter group Raynare seemed to be affiliated with. Not that that changed the shape or denomination of the suitcase full of Euros.

"No, I suppose not," Rio agreed. "Kind of Azazel to donate to his retirement fund." Her phone beeped, and she checked it. "Time."

"Well, then, I'm off." Gorou rose. "See you in a minute. Don't get too hot under the collar without me."

"Don't get all wet without _me_ ," she replied, giving him a quick kiss.

With a grin, Gorou leapt, assuming his draconic form, and surged upward into the night.

-xxxx-

One of the tricks that Gorou had developed – in fact, one of the core abilities that had earned him the nickname "Black Gale" – was the use of senjutsu in conjunction with a Japanese dragon's natural hydrokinesis. Using ki, he was capable of hardening water droplets to a point where they were harder than lead bullets. His hydrokinetic mastery meant that, as long as there was any moisture in the air to draw from, that he would never run out of ammunition.

The late-night sky in this area of the Baltics was rife with moisture.

He let out a thunderous roar, using the sound as a focus for the senjutsu. A moment later, thousands and thousands of raindrops coalesced around him. A moment's concentration, and they hardened, falling to the ground at just above the speed of sound.

He did it five more times before diving to the ground himself, letting out another roar.

By the time he was three meters above ground level, most of the rogue Grigori agents guarding the mansion were dead or incapacitated.

* * *

It was far colder than Asia Argento was used to. Certainly far colder than she would have liked. She knew she was in no position to complain, though.

The Church had kicked her out without so much as a fare-thee-well, not even allowing her to get word to Cousin Dulio. The Grigori recruiter had been waiting with a knowing smirk. The entire thing felt to Asia like it had been planned, but she had no idea what she could actually _do_ about it. And so, she had spent the last three days in this ruined mansion in… she thought she was still in Europe somewhere, but that was as far as she could guess. A thin bedroll and the occasional cup of ramen was her "hosts'" idea of accommodation, while they waited for something that they weren't even bothering to tell her about.

"Where the hell is Sellzen?" This came from the Fallen Angel who was apparently in charge, a woman named Raynare. Asia had never seen a woman dress so skimpily of her own volition. She wondered if being dressed like that in the cold was part of why she was so ill-tempered.

"He's probably done a runner, Raynare." This came from another Fallen Angel, this one a brooding man in a trenchcoat and hat. Asia hadn't caught his name. "He's unreliable as hell."

"He should still be here," Raynare groused. "We have his bribe right here, after all." She turned towards Asia with a sneer, and the former nun had to suppress a shudder. This woman wasn't just ill-tempered, she was so _contemptuous_ of everyone and everything around her. Even the trenchcoated fellow, who seemed to know her well, was not fully immune from the abrasive treatment. Sadly, Asia wasn't a stranger to that kind of attitude. More than one of the Church's officials exhibited something similar. And the way Raynare looked at Asia made her feel small and insignificant.

"There may be something else going on, too," Trenchcoat Man added. He wasn't much nicer, Asia thought, but he at least didn't indulge in Raynare's petty cruelties. "We should have heard from Mikaelsen by now. He, at least, is reliable."

Raynare made a dismissive wave. "I'm not worried about him."

"You _should_ be," Trenchcoat Man insisted. "He is how we're going to get to the Ulan Bator site without running afoul of – wait." He raised a hand to his ear as a communications circle flared to life. "What is it?"

"We're getting chopped to _bits_ out – " The sentry's voice cut off with a gurgle.

"Lassin?" Trenchcoat Man tapped the circle, looking perplexed. He started to speak again, then he heard the sound outside, and saw what was causing it through the windows. It was a black, almost leaden rain falling, and the droplets were hitting the ground – and their team members outside – like supersonic bullets. He saw Lassin on the ground, motionless, his wings holed through and through. The half-dozen human troops in body armor with him were also on the ground. Their body armor had helped, but not enough in most cases; some of them had holed limbs, or ones that had twisted at weird angles.

"We need to move!" Dohnaseek yelled, even as another "rainstorm" fell. This one clattered on the rooftop like hail. They were on the ground floor, but enough of that would pierce the ceiling, and the floors above.

"What the hell?" Raynare screeched. Rather than alarmed or worried, she sounded put out, like a child denied her sweets. "Who's doing that?" Her reaction, Asia thought, wasn't reassuring.

"It doesn't matter!" the male Fallen Angel shot back. "Grab the nun and head for the forest. We'll set up for a teleportation circle once we're through the treeline."

A groundshaking _thump_ rattled the mansion, throwing the Fallen Angels to their knees. Asia hadn't even managed to stand, so she was unaffected. A moment later, a sound like an angry jet engine blew in half the house's windows, peppering the three of them with shattered glass. Asia gingerly shook her tunic free of the shards.

"Who's fucking with us?" Raynare growled.

"What part of 'it doesn't matter' don't you understand?" Trenchcoat Man cried out in exasperation. Asia almost felt sorry for him. "Grab the girl, and we'll – "

The front doors blew inward, and a massive creature poked its head in. The same word fell, unbidden, from the lips of the house's last three occupants.

"Dragon…"

"Good, you're not complete idiots." The dragon spoke in a strangely familiar accent. "Leave the girl."

Asia's eyes widened. What on Earth would a dragon want with _her_?

"Screw y – " Raynare started to spit out, but Trenchcoat Man bodily shoved her through the door, pushing her in the direction of the treeline. The handful of remaining Grigori agents followed suit.

The dragon turned its eyes on Asia, and she gulped. There were stories the Church told about dragons, about them being greedy and lustful creatures who were nevertheless too powerful to defy needlessly. But there were _other_ stories Aunt Daria had told her…

As she stared, the dragon _changed_. When it was finished changing, she was staring at a man perhaps a few years older than her, with spiky brown hair and glasses. At least, he _looked_ close to her age until she saw his eyes; those eyes had seen decades of both joy and sorrow. Something about him was familiar, too, though she couldn't quite put a finger on why. He wore a heavy winter coat and cargo pants, and had a kind look on his face. "Are you all right?" he asked.

* * *

"So. You're the one who tried to kill my son."

"Who the fuck are you?" Raynare sneered. The woman was a youthful forty-something, with brown hair gathered at the nape of her neck in a long ponytail. She was dressed sensibly, even plainly, as if she were off to the market instead of engaged in a life-and-death struggle. Around them, the dozen survivors of her team, including a heavily-bruised Dohnaseek, tensed for action. They hadn't quite made it to the treeline, after all…

"Hyoudou Rio," she said simply.

"Am I supposed to grovel and beg forgiveness?" Raynare couldn't believe the woman's gall. Saying that to a Fallen Angel, expecting to be treated like a real person? Who did she think she was?

"It might help your friends," Rio said thoughtfully. "Not you, though." She snapped her fingers.

Raynare was suddenly thrown back by an explosion of eye-burning blue-white flame. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the same thing happening to her allies. She started to rise to her feet, but another explosion knocked her back down; this one actually left her scorched and jarred. Yet another explosion knocked her flat on her back before she could even start to stand. The sudden spike of pain in her left leg suggested that it was broken. She saw Dohnaseek spread his wings and try to take to the sky, but yet another blue-white explosion took him ten meters off the ground. He fell to the ground, twitching and groaning.

And there was no sign of the typical magical casting circle _anywhere_.

"Who the hell…" she ground out, forcing herself to her feet.

"I guess you can't take a hint," Rio said, shaking her head. "Try this, then." All at once, that same fire was wreathing her, burning hot enough that Raynare, who was a good ten meters away now, was getting a second-degree burn just looking at her. Twenty years melted away from her features, and her housewife's clothes were replaced by a lavender kimono. She reached out her left hand, and a tachi shaped from that very blue flame appeared. She curled her fingers around the "hilt," and assumed chudan-no-kamae.

"Aoikaji-hime!" Dohnaseek groaned, from where he lay, dazed and burned. "Raynare, this is serious - "

"It can't be…" Raynare whispered disbelievingly. The "Azure Conflagration Princess" was reputedly the Shinto Faction's strongest fire mage, a member of the Five Great Families and, at one point, a Holy Swordswoman. She was supposed to be semi-retired now, but at one point she had been rumored to be Kyoto's most feared magical enforcer. Even now, she was supposedly a close confidant of Yasaka's. Hyperbole be damned; whatever the stories said, they all agreed that she was definitely not someone to be fucked with lightly.

And Raynare had tried to kill her son.

For a moment, realization and horror threatened to overwhelm Raynare. But then she bared her teeth in a defiant snarl. Doubling down had become her coping mechanism over the passage of centuries, so ingrained as a habit that she had stopped thinking about it long ago. It didn't matter that it was often counterproductive, or that it often complicated her relationships with her allies. No, it allowed her to continue feeling "in control," and enabled her to avoid ever admitting she was wrong. Nothing else mattered.

Today would be no different.

"You're no match for me, bitch!" She screamed at Rio. "I'll gut you like I should have gutted your stupid brat!"

"Bring it on, then," Rio replied, the coolness of her tone a striking contrast to the heat of her flames. "I was warned that you were pigheaded, but I thought they were exaggerating…"

Raynare manifested and hurled several spears of light at the mage, then followed herself with a glowing crimson falchion, doing her best to ignore the pain in her left leg. Her lips skinned back from her teeth in a grotesque smile. This bitch might have some meager skill, but she was no match for a Fallen Angel!

She managed to maintain that monstrous grin even as the mage's blue flames absorbed and dissipated her spears. It began to falter as Hyoudou's weapon parried her falchion with ease. The woman's cool expression just pissed Raynare off more, and she started screaming at her, pressing the attack despite her increasing ineffectualness.

Hyoudou sidestepped one particular reckless lunge. Her blade flicked out once, twice, with surgical precision, and Raynare sank to her knees, her back alight with searing agony.

"my wings," she whispered, then screamed, " _My WINGS!_ " She jolted as she felt that same searing heat hover at the back of her neck. Even though the flame-sword's "blade" wasn't quite touching her skin, its elemental keenness felt like a straight razor teasing her skin.

"Ahem." The voice wasn't Hyoudou's. She knew it well, though. It was very nearly the last voice whose owner she wished to be present right now. "Rio…"

"You're _late_ , Penny," Hyoudou said tersely, and Raynare inwardly cringed. That confirmed it. If Grigori's Chief Secretary was here, there was no way Azazel was unaware…

"I needed a word or two with the Governor-General," Penemue said calmly. She wasn't alone, either; nearly three dozen other Grigori agents, all of them armed and unhappy, were securing the transfer site. She gave Raynare a disgusted look, and the latter tried to muster the wherewithal to glare back. It didn't quite take. "What do you think you're doing, though?"

"She tried to kill Issei," Hyoudou said flatly, and Penemue grimaced. Raynare could not wrap her head around this - how did a human mage, even one as vaunted as the Aoikaji-hime, presume to be on such casual terms with one of Grigori's Cadre?

"It's done. She's defeated," Penemue answered, in that same calm tone Raynare despised. She summoned a magical circle, starting a healing spell, and Raynare felt the magical energy easing her pain and repairing her wounds. Not that she felt an ounce of gratitude for that. "Leave her to us. We'll make sure she receives the proper punishment."

"I'll hold you to that," Hyoudou said. The veiled threat should have sounded ridiculous coming from a mere human, but somehow it didn't.

"Is that a threat, or a promise?" Penemue retorted wryly. Raynare looked back and forth between the other two women. No. She couldn't _possibly_ be picking up an undertone of innuendo. "I presume Gorou has Asia-chan secured."

"Yes," Hyoudou said, and her voice sharpened. "I trust there'll be no problem with her staying with us, then."

"None. Dulio and I spoke with the Governor-General regarding that. Consider it an apology for this… unpleasantness." Her voice softened. "How is Issei?"

"Doing well, thank you. No thanks to _that_ bitch." There was a soft sound like a breeze, and Raynare felt the heat from the blue-white flames fade away. "He's a Devil now, engaged to the Sitri heiress."

"That's quite a turnaround. Well, I wish them the best of luck. I imagine that the Leviathan will do her best to hurry him along to high-class."

"Enough with the mutual admiration society!" Raynare couldn't help blurting out, and it was all she could do not to recoil at the combined glare from the other two women.

Penemue spoke first. "Go ahead and take Asia-chan home, Rio. I think I'll have my hands full with this one for the time being."

"I'll leave it to you, Penemue," Hyoudou answered. "Don't be too gentle with her."

"Urgh… you won't get away with this…" Raynare managed. Some small, atrophied part of her pointed out that she was acting reckless as hell right now. That part was easily ignored by the rest of her. "You and your stupid son…"

"You really _are_ an idiot, aren't you?" Hyoudou shook her head almost pityingly, then turned and strode away.

"She may just be right," Penemue added, narrowing her eyes at Raynare. "Why don't you start telling me just what you were up to here? It might just keep you out of Cocytus." Her eyes glinted coolly. " _Might_."

* * *

"Asia-chan, I presume?"

"Y-yes," she answered hesitantly. "H-have we met?"

"A long time ago," he told her, unzipping his coat. He doffed it, leaving himself in a thick sweater, and wrapped it around her shoulders. "My name's Gorou. My wife and I were friends of your Aunt Daria." A haunted look flitted through his eyes as he said the name.

"Aunt Daria…" Asia hadn't thought of her aunt in years. Even now, her mind shied away from her memory. Too much about her was entangled in memories of happier times that could never be regained. Like the Church, now...

"Dulio told us what happened to you," Gorou continued. "We're here to take you home with us. We'll make sure you're safe, and taken care of." He smiled wanly.

Asia tightened her grip on the coat, standing carefully in the wreckage of the house's foyer. She looked around at the wreckage the battle had left in the forest, and the way the moon shone brightly in the cold, clear night sky. Finally, she turned back to face the man, and nodded, returning his wan smile. She bowed awkwardly. "Thank you, Gorou… san?"

"That's fine," he said, looking faintly abashed. He then raised his voice, calling out, "Rio!"

"Coming!" A moment later, a beautiful woman with long brown hair emerged from the remaining treeline. She wore a lavender kimono. Like her companion, she was somehow familiar to Asia. She raised a hand in greeting as she approached, and offered Asia a smile of her own. "Asia-chan! Good, you're safe."

"We've met, too, haven't we?" Asia gave her a bow as well, this one a little less awkward.

"Yes, we have. I'm Rio, Gorou-kun's wife." That same pained look flashed through her eyes, as well. "He asked you to come home with us?"

"Yes," Asia said with a nod. She clutched the tattered carryall that contained all her belongings in the world, and fixed a determined expression on her face. "I'm ready."

Gorou nodded. He stretched, and changed _._ Scales sprouted out, his body shifted and lengthened. When he was finished, a blue-black Eastern dragon rested on its haunches in the clearing. In the back of her mind, Asia remembered stories her aunt had told, about a kind dragon who saved lost children. "Just climb aboard," it rumbled in a basso version of Gorou's voice. "It's a long flight back to Kuoh. Rio, I trust you have something prepared for that?"

"Yes, I do." Rio turned towards Asia, helping her climb onto Gorou's back before vaulting aboard easily. As she settled behind the younger woman, she cast a basic climate-control spell. "Just stick close, and we'll stay warm," she assured Asia. "We'll be home before you know it."

"Home…" Asia thought about the word, and nodded with a slight smile.


	7. Chapter 4: I'm Living For Giving The

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. (If I owned it, Issei and company would have hijacked a starship by now.)

In addition, this fanfiction borrows elements from _Arifureta_ (property of Shirakome Ryo, J-Novel Club, Seven Seas Entertainment, White Fox, and Asread), _Recovery of an MMO Junkie_ (property of Kokuyō Rin, Comico, and Signal MD), and _Great Teacher Onizuka_ (property of Fujisawa Tohru, _Weekly Shonen Magazine_ , Animax, and Fuji Television).

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Fluff/silliness warning. Violence warning. Author's musical tastes warning. Creative liberties being taken with Shinto mythology warning.

* * *

To answer some of the reviews:

Wargame-sama: I won't say I haven't had some buyer's remorse for my choices in Issei's new Sacred Gear! But this chapter (I hope) demonstrates some of the awesome things Unknown Dictator has potential for.

A Plexx: Take a look. :D

Crimson Dragon VIRUS: Glad you're enjoying it! Kuroka definitely has a role to play, although to underline just what it is would be a spoiler.

Straximo: I'm flattered by the sheer detail and thought you put into your review. Thank you for the kind words. I'm trying to give everyone on the Council a moment in the sun to get some characterization. And as for the divergence from canon… I hope you enjoy what's to come.

* * *

 _Chapter 4: I'm Living For Giving The Devil Her Due_

* * *

 **Monday:**

* * *

"I'm Asia Argento! I hope we all get along!" Asia dimpled at her new classmates, drawing oohs and ahhs of admiration. The fact that she was not at all deliberately working the room only made her more endearing to them.

Issei shot her an approving look, and leaned back in his chair, resuming reading the essay he'd been perusing beforehand. Meanwhile, Asia was getting mobbed by the other students, all asking probing questions. Inevitably, the topic turned towards where she was living, and more than a dozen jealous faces turned to glare at Issei. Aika, Kaori, and Reya looked more amused than anything else, as well they might: Reya had helped Issei and Sona tutor Asia for the entrance exams, while Kaori and Aika had met her earlier that morning.

"Ise!" Matsuda demanded. "What's the meaning of this, Asia-chan living with you?"

"She's the relative of a family friend," Issei replied in a distracted tone. "Can you keep it down? I'm reading here…"

"Who cares about that?" Motohama said dismissively. "Just what do you think you're up to with her, huh?"

"... studying." Issei said this as if it were self-evident. "Ask Reya-san, she and Sona-san were both over on Sunday helping her study."

"Yep," Reya agreed. "You would have been bored to tears. Especially when he and kaichou got off on a tangent about computers."

"...okay, I can actually believe that," Matsuda said reluctantly. At the disbelieving looks from their classmates, he explained, "Ise's been a big computer nerd since middle school. If the kaichou is a big nerd too…"

There was some quiet rumbling about the third-most-popular girl in school being called a "nerd," and it was finally Matsuda and Motohama's turn to be in the hot seat for awhile. (True to form, they were completely clueless as to how anything they'd said could have earned them trouble.) Issei mouthed a "thank you" at Reya, and resumed reading. It had been awhile since the last time he'd re-read "Homesteading the Noosphere."

A sudden sound of thunder snagged his attention, and he glanced outside, wincing as he saw the sudden downpour. "Aw, crap," he sighed. "Hope that doesn't last too long…"

Aika was checking her phone, and she shook her head. "Don't hold your breath. Looks like we're in for it all week."

* * *

Kiba stood in the middle of the abandoned mansion's living room, and concentrated. A moment later, the house rumbled as a dozen swords appeared, driven point-down into the ruined carpet, around him. The weather being what it was, they were making the best of things, and it wasn't like the mansion's interior was in in decent condition, anyway. It made for good close-quarters training, anyway.

The Gremory heiress's Knight relaxed, looking over at Issei and Kaori. "Please, take a look to see if there's any swords there that's suitable for you two."

"Thanks for doing this, Kiba," Issei said, giving him a thumbs-up. He strolled among the swords for several minutes, picking up several of them to test how they felt in his grip. Finally, he selected one that resembled a Chinese _dao_. "I like the feel of this one," he announced.

"It's no problem," Kiba answered. "It's a chance to hone my skills with my Sacred Gear." He looked curiously at Issei and Kaori. "I must confess some surprise that the rest of your peerage isn't here today."

"Kaichou thought it was best that we see you about borrowing weapons, and practicing in close quarters," Kaori said. She smiled her thanks at Kiba, and started perusing the swords as well. Five minutes of experimentation brought her to a saber-like blade, and she smiled as she tested it in renzoku waza. "Yes. I think this will do nicely."

"I'm still surprised you didn't stick with Meguri's katana," Issei noted.

"I didn't feel quite right about borrowing it," Kaori explained. "And the way kaichou was talking, it also sounded like I shouldn't get too attached to any one weapon just yet."

"There is a certain advantage to avoiding overspecialization with a single weapon," Kiba noted. "It avoids canny opponents developing countermeasures." He waved a hand, and the remaining swords dissipated. "But then, my Sacred Gear makes it easy to do that. The kaichou may have something in mind for you, and this way you'll have fewer habits to unlearn."

"That sounds like something Sona-ch - I mean, Sona-kaichou would do," Issei agreed.

"Can your Sacred Gear do anything with these?" Kaori wondered, glancing at Issei. "It lets you control objects made from iron, right?"

" _Are_ Demonic Swords ferrous, though?" Issei mused. "Let's find out…" He set his new weapon on the ground and stepped back several paces. He then held out a hand towards it, concentrating, trying to will it to come to him -

The blade flew at him, slamming itself by the flat into his stomach before clattering to his feet. He stumbled back, unwounded but the wind knocked out of him. Wincing as he recovered his breath, he looked at the other two Devils, who were struggling not to laugh. "Well, they're ferrous, all right," he told them hoarsely.

Kiba recovered first, trying to look philosophical. "At least it looks useful for disarming an opponent," he offered. "And given how many weapons _are_ at least partially made of iron, it would be effective against most opponents."

Kaori finally regained her composure. Clearing her throat, she nodded in agreement with Kiba. "Why don't you try disarming _me_ , then?" She tightened her grip on the saber's hilt. "We'll see how long it takes you."

-xxxx-

"Enough already! Cut it out!"

"Well, let _go_ of the stupid thing, then!"

Kiba watched in amusement as Issei literally dragged Kaori electromagnetically back and forth across the massive living room. She had a death grip on her saber's hilt and had her heels dug in, but it was clearly being drawn to the Rook, who was magically "pulling" it with all his might. Had they been outside, and the weather clear, it would have looked like some very inefficient field-tilling.

"Do I even _want_ to know what's happening here?" Rias asked in bemusement.

"Believe it or not, this is training," Kiba explained. "He's trying to disarm her, and she's trying to keep hold of her sword."

"...so it's not some weird kinda flirting," Koneko said skeptically.

"I don't think so," Kiba said, although he looked like he wasn't sure.

Issei finally managed to wrench the saber free of Kaori's grip, sending it flying. Said saber went spinning towards Rias and her servants, who had to backpedal quickly to avoid it. "Sorry 'bout that!" he called out, and then squawked as Kaori collided hard with him. "Hey - !"

"That _hurt_!" she scolded him, and looked around for her sword before seeing it lying at Kiba's feet. She scurried over, retrieving it without a word, and pointed it at Issei. "Okay, we're sparring now!" The saber's blade was suddenly wreathed in demonic energy.

"Fine by me!" Issei shot back, and his own blade was suddenly surrounded by blue-white flames. "Bring it - " He began backpedalling rapidly as she leapt at him and brought it. He seemed to block her strikes handily enough, but she was pressing him too hard for him to get the initiative. This time, the Knight was driving the _Rook_ around the living room. Oddly enough, both of them were grinning like idiot.

"You're absolutely _sure_ \- " Koneko started.

"...I'm sure it's not _just_ some weird kind of flirtation, all right?" Kiba amended. Meanwhile, in the center of the room, Issei had finally managed to drive Kaori back enough to get some traction, and was now chasing _her_ , swinging his fiery _dao_ wildly.

"...right. Well, I think I'm going to go work on reports," Rias said, her tone clearly saying "not my peerage, not my problem." All Kiba could do was shrug in response and watch the servants of his mistress's friend/rival.

At least they were having fun, he thought philosophically.

* * *

Welcoming Asia to Kuoh really _was_ a flimsy excuse for a party, but no one was complaining.

Inevitably, the discussion wandered towards "what to do," and Reya and Aika were rather vocal about bowling. Lacking any better ideas, Sona agreed, and the Student Council and their notional guest of honor crowded into a lane at the local rec center. At the last minute, the ORC president invited herself and her peerage along, and the impromptu party grew to take over four lanes and dominate the snack bar.

(The idea of kicking them out never occurred to the manager. Between the amount of snacks they were buying, and the fact that they were better behaved than many of the usual students who came in from Kuoh, they were the best customers she'd seen that month.)

-xxxx-

"Hey." Issei nudged Sona gently. The two of them were awaiting their turns, and nibbling snacks while they did so. If they happened to be quietly playing footsie with each other, no one noticed (or said anything). "You see that?"

Sona followed his eyes to Tsubaki. The tall, elegant Student Council vice-president was talking to Kiba at the ball return… or trying to. Their conversation was polite, but awkward, and the bishounen who was so beloved by Kuoh's student body was absolutely oblivious.

"Yes, I see," Sona told Issei with a slight smile. "She's been interested in him for quite some time."

"How does he not see it?" he said in an exasperated tone.

"We all have our blind spots," she replied in a gently pointed tone, and softened her smile to cushion her words slightly. "Besides, Kiba-san probably thinks that acknowledging one girl's affections would make the others jealous of her."

"Yeah, but it's Tsubaki-fukukaichou," Issei said. "What're they gonna do, snub _her_?"

"You have something in mind." Sona's tone made it a statement, rather than a question.

Issei pursed his lips. He felt slightly surprised at the statement, but realized she was right, even if he hadn't fully assembled the thought. "Ask me after we're done here?" he suggested.

"Sure." Sona looked amused.

-xxxx-

"Have a chance to think some more?" Sona asked as they walked back to her apartment, after seeing Asia back to his house. The rain had lightened slightly, to a steady drizzle, but that was still sufficient excuse for the two of them to share an umbrella and walk in close proximity to each other. Tsubaki walked with the two of them, under her own umbrella; she and Sona had put off some paperwork in favor of the party, and it needed doing.

"Yeah, I think so," Issei said, shifting the umbrella slightly so that Sona got a little more coverage. (Her command of aquakinesis made getting wet a momentary inconvenience, but the sentiment was nice.) "Why don't we start getting together with the ORC for social things? Karaoke, bowling, something like that?"

Sona raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

Issei shrugged. Truth be told, it seemed like he was coming up with this as he went. "Mostly… what's the word? Creating goodwill, making sure we get along and work well together? That kind of thing?" He snuck a sideways look at Tsubaki. "For example, suppose we get Tsubaki-fukukaichou and Kiba talking about weapons training, spark some ideas there…"

"Fostering stronger ties with the other peerage in Kuoh is probably a good idea," Tsubaki chimed in. She was doing an admirable job of keeping her voice level… far better than she was doing at suppressing a blush.

Sona suppressed a smile. It was a rather transparent attempt to play matchmaker on Issei's part… not that she could fault his motives. And both he and Tsubaki were right; just as she and Rias's friendship generally took precedence over their rivalry, so did their peerages' ability to cooperate take precedence over oneupsmanship. "If you two are willing to organize the events and coordinate with Rias, I'll allow it."

"Certainly, as long as Hyoudou-kun is willing to work with me." Tsubaki tried to sound cool and collected. To someone who didn't know her, she probably would have succeeded.

"Definitely." Issei nodded enthusiastically, and grinned. "Maybe next time, we can do karaoke." He gave Sona a meaningful look. "And maybe I'll actually get _you_ to sing something one of these nights."

"The right song, on the right night, perhaps." Sona's cheeks pinked slightly, but she let herself smile.

* * *

 **Tuesday:**

* * *

Tuesday's activities were relatively light, focusing on light combat training and getting Tomoe and Tsubasa used to their new Sacred Gears. Aika was finding geokinesis to be one of her particular talents. Combining this with Momo and Reya's Bishop talents enabled the three of them to raise a sizable earthen shelter with a (mostly) watertight roof to work under. It was just as well; today's rainfall was harder and more persistent. At least the occasional puddles that go through the roof were good training for footwork and situational awareness…

Issei's fellow Rook was already enjoying the boost in speed Momentum Pillage gave her when facing other opponents. Certainly, only Issei's pyrokinesis had kept her from making total mincemeat of him in their sparring. Even with it… well, he was glad he'd worn a plain T-shirt for practice today. Those cost less to replace.

Meanwhile, Tomoe was acclimating to the capabilities of Mind's Edge rather quickly, producing an amethyst-hued photokinetic blade (and prompting the inevitable lightsaber jokes from Issei and Reya). Right now, she and Kaori were sparring their way around the mansion's lawn, and she had the Sacred Gear shaped into a naginata. She and Kaori seemed to be pretty evenly matched as far as skill went, but Mind's Edge was giving Tomoe a pretty decisive advantage, even with the Demonic Sword Kiba had loaned the kendoka.

Issei and Sona were watching, drinking from bottles of water as they did. "Sacred Gears sure are something," the Rook said wonderingly.

Sona nodded. "This peerage is very unusual, in that it has five Sacred Gear bearers."

Issei looked sideways at her. "Basa-chan, Meguri, and me… that's only three."

"Actually, it'll be best to show you," Sona said, and then called out, "Tsubaki! Saji-kun! Come here for a moment, please."

"Coming, kaichou!" Saji trotted over, clearly eager to please. Tsubaki followed at a slightly more sedate pace.

"I'd like both of you to show Issei-kun your Sacred Gears, please," Sona said. "It'll be good if everyone in the peerage who has one knows about the others. That'll improve our ability to use them in concert to the best effect."

Tsubaki nodded. Saji looked less enthused, but nodded as well. Both of them drew a deep breath. A moment later, a bracer shaped like a cartoonish dragon's head appeared strapped to Saji's wrist. Meanwhile, a full-length mirror appeared next to Tsubaki, and she rested a hand atop its frame.

"Mine is called Mirror Alice," Tsubaki explained. "It lets me turn my opponents' attacks back on them, at double strength."

"And _mine_ is called Absorption Line," Saji said proudly. "It's one of four made from the imprisonment of the Prison Dragon Vritra, and allows me to drain power from his opponents and transfer it it to my allies."

"Why's it called the 'Prison Dragon?'" Issei asked interestedly. For some reason, it seemed as though the fate of the dragon interested him a little more than Saji's Sacred Gear.

"Centuries ago, the Hindu deities warred against their enemies, the Asuras," Saji answered, slightly surprised by the question. "In the process, Indra defeated Vritra, and his soul was divided between several Sacred Gears."

"Hardly seems fair," Issei noted. It sounded like he sympathized more with the dragon than with the gods. It wasn't an unreasonable feeling, Sona thought wryly.

"The gods rarely are, Issei-kun," she said aloud, her tone slightly sour.

"I guess not," he conceded. "Both of those sound pretty useful, then. Wish mine did a little more good in a straight-up fight, though."

Saji seemed like he wanted to say something snide. Instead (after a quelling look from both Sona and Tsubaki), he muttered, "The more you work with it, the better an idea you'll have of how to use it."

"He's correct," Sona agreed. "It's all about figuring out how to apply its abilities. You've already figured out how to disarm opponents… even if it needs some fine-tuning," she added with an affectionate smirk. "I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to weaponize it."

"I guess so." Issei's voice abruptly took on a faraway tone, and Sona looked quizzically at her fiance. "Issei-kun?"

"Hmm? Sorry. It's what you said, about weaponizing it… that rang a bell, but I can't quite chase the thought down…"

"It'll come back to you," she said encouragingly. She knew all about stray thoughts and epiphanies, and how trying to nail them down just made them fly away faster. "Let it be for now."

"You _do_ know me too well, Sona-chan," he said, chuckling helplessly and rubbing the back of his head. He'd said it softly enough that no one else had heard, so Sona reached out and squeezed his free hand. It was really remarkable, how quickly both of the, had come to rely on simple affectionate touches.

"Why don't we try some demonstrations?" Tsubaki quickly suggested, cognizant of the sudden thunderclouds in Saji's expression. "You'll get a more visual idea of what we can do."

Sona nodded in approval. "Issei-kun, go ahead and summon your pyrokinesis. Saji-kun, try sapping his flames so he doesn't get too injured when Tsubaki redirects them."

The two young men mumbled assent. Issei shaped his hands into finger-guns and called forth his blue-white flames. At the same time, Saji shot out a glowing tendril into the fire. At first, Issei didn't feel any different. Then his flames started flickering and stuttering. A mildly queasy sensation accompanied that.

"I see what you mean about this," he said, his tone a little woozy. "That feels like it's messing with my inner-ear balance."

"Now you see why the Prison Dragon's Sacred Gears are feared," Saji told him. He sounded less smug than Issei would have expected.

"I guess so," he agreed. "Keep this up, I'll actually be sick…"

"Now try aiming a _Rekka-dan_ or two at Mirror Alice," Sona instructed. "No more. I don't want you to actually get banged up."

"That's fine, I don't want me to get banged up either," Issei replied lightly. He aimed his finger-guns at Tsubaki's Sacred Gear and "fired." The normally eye-burning blue-white flames were far weaker this time, but they still struck the mirror with what should have been enough force to knock an opponent ass over teakettle.

Instead, they streaked into the glass without even a ripple on the reflective surface. A moment later, they came flying back out at close to full power, way too fast to Issei to dodge. He had just enough time to throw his arms up in a blocking move before the flames struck him. He went skidding backwards into the rain, dropping to one knee and completely blowing out the knees of his jeans before he could stop.

Sona moved quickly to his side, looking him over with a clinical demeanor that might have fooled complete strangers. "At least you're not burned," she said absently, checking the state of his bruises and scrapes. "Pyrokinetics generally have a high heat resistance, but there are some who don't. It's an interesting omission when it happens."

"I'm sure they have a different word for it than 'interesting,'" Issei replied, his tone philosophical. "Think I'm okay. These clothes are shot, though. Well, maybe I can turn the jeans into shorts…"

"We'll clean you up first thing when we're done here." Sona pulled him gently to his feet, and tugged him back towards the makeshift shelter. "You have a clearer picture of what they're capable of, now?"

"Yeah, I think so," Issei said, looking over at Tsubaki and Saji. "Thanks. Y'know, maybe sometime we should work on combined attacks. Using Saji's thing to soften up an opponent before piling on."

"We could do that sometime," Saji said, trying not to sound too mulish.

"Agreed," Tsubaki said thoughtfully. "It may be some time before we enter a Rating Game, but this would be helpful for real-world tactics."

Sona nodded her approval, and spoke up, raising her voice. "Good work today, everyone. Let's leave it there for now." She shifted her gaze towards her fiance. "Issei-kun, you're at my place tonight, correct?"

"Yeah, if that's all right," Issei answered. He wondered if all newlyweds felt weird giddiness at sharing a private space together… even if they had certain strings attached, and weren't technically newlyweds yet. "Why don't you let me make dinner?" he offered. "I can actually make shabu-shabu."

"I will take you up on that," she said with an eager nod.

"Shabu-shabu?" Heads snapped up around the field, faces suddenly alight with interest. Even Saji and Tsubaki perked up at the thought.

Sona looked around at the suddenly expectant faces, and smiled ruefully. "I suppose we'll have dinner guests. You good with cooking for that many?"

"Oh, I suppose," Issei answered with a wry grin. "Not right away, though. I really should get cleaned up first.

"We'll take care of that first." Sona's soft, slight smile seemed to suggest a long, hot shower together. "After that, go ahead to the store, and…" She suddenly looked thoughtful. "And then, I'll need to talk to Rias about something really quick." She looked at the rest of her peerage, Kaori and Aika in particular. "Please be at my place in ninety minutes. This might be a good chance to introduce you to the Rating Games."

-xxxx-

"Thank you for letting me borrow these, Rias." Sona tucked the DVDs into her school bag. She'd have preferred not to rush back out immediately after she and Issei had gotten out of the shower, but it was important for the night's plans, and he had needed to go to the market anyway.

"If it helps you, it helps me," Rias replied with a smile. "So this is how you're going to introduce your new servants to the Rating Games, hmm?"

"It _is_ a bit like throwing them into the deep end," Sona admitted. "But if they can start thinking about how to deal with Riser and Sairaorg, any other likely opponents will be fairly simple. And we shouldn't have to worry about the former in the near future." She gave Rias a dry look that wasn't entirely free of pleading. "A couple of months, at least, would be nice."

"I know, I know." Rias made a slight moue at the gentle badgering. "So far, my family hasn't said anything about Riser pushing to move the date up."

"Let's hope that trend continues." Sona stifled a yawn. "Pardon me."

"I didn't think your peerage was training that late," Rias noted. She then gave Sona another, closer look, and her smile turned teasing. "I also don't remember you owning that many computer humor T-shirts."

"Issei-kun's shirts are comfortable, and they smell like him," Sona replied. Despite the slight flush to her face, she said the words bluntly. It felt oddly freeing, to be open about being with and desiring Issei. "And I cut us off specifically so we could have dinner and watch these. He's making shabu-shabu."

"Shabu-shabu?" Rias perked up. "Let me grab my coat."

"Wait, I didn't - "

"I promise not to side-eye you two if you start getting cozy."

"Are you just angling for free food?" Sona quipped. "Well, since you're loaning the recordings… all right."

-xxxx-

"All right, give us some room," Issei said as he, Reya, and Tsubasa carried the shabu-shabu and fixings out to the living room. The rest of Sona's peerage was already gathered there while Sona was loading a DVD into the player. The Council president sat next to her fiance, and waited until everyone was settled in before reaching for the remote. Between the hot food, the full living room, and the sound of steady rainfall outside, Sona's apartment felt extra cozy and home-like tonight.

"These are what you were talking about last week?" Aika asked, her tone one of asking for confirmation.

"Yes," Sona replied with a nod. "Good performance in the Rating Games is currently the fastest way of improving one's status in Devil society. Ranking in the games also constitutes a benchmark for the power and skill of a high-class Devil's peerage."

Issei snorted in wry amusement, and gave Rias a sideways look. He was both amused and exasperated that she'd invited herself along when Sona had mentioned dinner. "So _this_ is what you were talking about when I came to ask about Devil courtship."

Rias just grinned. "If it's any consolation, you threw me completely for a loop when you came in asking if chess was related to it in anyway. All of us were floored." She chuckled. "I think Akeno was most surprised when you didn't even flinch at her attempt to flirt with you."

"That _does_ make me feel better," Issei admitted. "Ah, I hope she didn't take it personally…"

"You needn't worry for your life," Rias told him with a wicked grin. "Endless teasing, now, that's probably still on the table."

"Whose Rating Game are we watching?" Tsubaki wondered as she began to dish herself up some dinner.

"We have two recordings on hand," Sona explained. "Riser Phenex and Sairaorg Bael. We'll start with Riser's." She looked at her peerage. "They're high-class Devils whose peerages have an excellent reputation in the Games. It's not inconceivable that we could be facing them in the future. So, pay attention between bites."

"That might be difficult," Tsubasa commented blithely. "This is great, Ise-chan. Kaichou, try it."

Sona did so, and she made a pleased sound. "Issei-kun, this _is_ very good." She took another, larger helping, before hitting PLAY.

"Thanks," he said, blushing slightly. "Dig in, everyone. I got enough for seconds and maybe thirds." As he dished himself up a plate, he mused, "Kaa-san taught me to make this much. Tou-san eats like he's a dragon or something.."

For a long time, the gathered students chowed down, conversation at a virtual standstill as they watched the TV. Aika was the first one to break the silence, and her comment succinctly summed up the general reaction. "This Riser guy is a real asshole. Kinda hot, but his attitude just ruins it for me."

"Yes, he _is_ an asshole," Rias agreed, her eyes narrowed as she watched the screen. "Sona and I are acquainted with him. He's even harder to deal with in person." She shook her head. "My parents and his are friends, in fact. And his parents are actually fairly _nice_. I have no idea how he turned out the way he has."

Sona glanced at her peerage. "As a person, he's a walking example of how a King should _not_ treat their peerage… or anyone else, really. Unfortunately, he has some talent at gathering and managing skilled servants." She sipped at her drink before continuing. "It's possible to learn things from the latter trait."

"Is he seriously referring to himself in the third person?" Kaori asked incredulously.

"That's part of why he's even harder to deal with in person," Tsubaki commented, looking weary at the thought. "Ah, Hyoudou-kun, is there any more of the sweet tea?"

"Yeah, it's the jug in the fridge. Want me to - "

"No, no, I'll get it. I'll just bring it out, if that's okay."

"Sure, go ahead." Issei returned his eyes to the screen. "He's a pyrokinetic, too?"

"Yes," Sona confirmed. "It's one of his family's specialties, in the same way that hydrokinesis is a Sitri specialty. So is immortality - that is to say, he can heal from virtually any injury very quickly."

"So 'Phenex' isn't just a clever name," Aika said dryly.

"Sadly, no." Sona took another drink.

"Reportedly, he's grown out of the 'third person' thing," Rias commented. "I'll believe it when I see it." Once again, they lapsed into silence as they watched and ate.

"How do you _fight_ that? Him, I mean?" Reya wondered aloud. "The rest of his peerage is manageable. Especially the little nutjobs with the chainsaws. But his powers are…"

"His current record is at 9-2, but both losses were against allies of his family. It's very likely he threw those matches," Rias answered. "Still, his personality presents certain blind spots. A smart peerage can exploit those. I'll get you recordings of his other games, Sona."

"It sounds like you two really expect us to go up against him soon," Issei observed.

"It's not out of the question," Sona answered obliquely, exchanging glances with Rias. Issei gave his fiancee a curious look, and she responded with one that promised later clarification.

* * *

 **Wednesday:**

* * *

"Hey, Hyoudou-sempai?"

"Hmm?" Kaori looked up as Issei turned to look at the speaker. It was the first-year with turquoise hair in twin braids, Nagahama Mitsune. She was well aware that the younger girl was considered one of the great beauties of her year. Issei was being careful to keep his eyes above her neck. That made the Knight feel oddly proud. "Um, hi, Nagahama. What can I do for you?"

"Maybe," Nagahama said. Kaori tensed slightly, and wondered if the other girl noticed it. "You're good with computers, right?" The first-year started fidgeting in a way that would normally draw male attention to her chest, which was fairly impressive. Even the fact that Issei was aware of them bothered her, although she was still glad he was keeping his eyes level.

"Pretty good," Issei acknowledged. He was now going out of his way to find the wall fascinating. She wondered if anyone else even noticed. "Is there a problem with yours?"

"Yeah," she said, smiling at him. This was weird, especially after she'd spent the last week glaring suspiciously at him. "Could you take a look at it?"

"Sure," he said quickly. "Programming club meets on Tuesdays and Fridays. Why don't you bring it by tomorrow, and I'll take a look at it?"

"Bring it to school?" Nagahama sounded disappointed.

"Yes, I think bringing it to school would be the best idea," Kaori interjected quickly. Her tone was friendly but firm. "We wouldn't want anyone to think anything weird was going on, would we?" Her smile was just a little bit knowing. "After all, isn't that what people would think if Hyoudou came to your house all alone?"

Nagahama jolted, surprise on her face. Clearly, the game was up. "N-no, of course not," she said quickly.

"Well, why don't you just bring it by when you can," Issei suggested slowly, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"S-sure. Thanks, Murayama-sempai, Hyoudou-sempai." Nagahama went back to her sparring partner, and Issei turned to his peerage-mate. "Was that what I thought it was?" he said softly.

"Yep." Kaori spoke with dry amusement. "Honestly, I was expecting Yui to act first. And I'm honestly a little disappointed. I was expecting something more subtle from Nagahama."

Issei rolled his eyes. "I suppose they've never heard the words 'entrapment' before."

Kaori snorted softly in wry amusement. "Probably not."

"Well, that was good thinking, anyway. Hope it doesn't get you in trouble with the rest of the club, though," he said sincerely.

"Probably not," she assured him. "Right now, they're still mostly relieved that it's me dealing with you, and not them. I'm hoping some of them start opening their eyes soon, though." She smirked slightly. "Believe it or not, I think Nagahama might be one of the first."

Issei raised both eyebrows, starting to speak, but his attention was snagged by Shizuku calling out. "All right, people, good practice today. Hyoudou, Murayama, you've got cleanup today."

"Yes, buchou," they chorused.

"I'll get the shinai if you open the equipment room?" Issei offered.

"Sure," Kaori said. She unlocked the storage room, and gathered the discarded gear. As they entered the storage room, she asked curiously, "Something I've been wondering for awhile… Why a harem?"

Issei looked at her in surprise, nearly dropping the gathered shinai. "What?"

"You've been talking about wanting one for a few years now, right?" It seemed very important to Kaori that she understood what made Issei tick. Especially since… her mind shied away from that for the moment. "I get the male fantasy thing, but you seemed to be chasing after one pretty hard for awhile. Like a shark chasing after blood, or something."

"Would you believe me if I said I wasn't really sure?" Issei told her. "Ah, do the shinais go in this rack, or that one?"

"The one over there, please… thank you. And I would believe it, but that makes it even stranger. Like some kind of of mysterious compulsion," she replied. "If it was just an idle fantasy, I don't think you'd have bothered."

"I guess not," he agreed, then sighed. "Well, there _is_ a reason but, it's… this is kinda hard to explain." He was actually fidgeting.

Kaori nodded, giving him a "go ahead" gesture.

Issei finished stacking the shinais, sighed, and took a deep breath. "For years, I've been having vague… I don't know if they're memories, or dreams, or _what_. It's been happening for years. Since I was nine or ten, I think... " He hesitated, then said, "They probably _are_ dreams, I guess. They're so disjointed, and it's like big pieces are missing… there's no way they could be memories. I'd never have forgotten anything like this, because they seem so _real_ …" Somehow, though, he didn't sound fully convinced.

"What happens in them?" Kaori asked. She had the odd feeling that she was getting a better look into Hyoudou Issei's psyche than anyone else at Kuoh, save Sona-kaichou. That thought oddly warmed her.

"In them… in them, I'm younger, and so are my folks. And there's a bunch more people living in the house. Mostly girls. And… we're happy. All of us are happy." Issei smiled wistfully, missing her gobsmacked expression. "I remember _that_ much, clear as day."

"That's…" The kendoka struggled to find the words. That look on his face… that had been such an uncomplicated, brilliant smile, despite the complexity of what was prompting it. "Those are vivid dreams, Ise," she finally managed. "How long did you say you've been having them?"

"Since I was nine or ten," he answered, shaking his head. "My parents had a rough year or two around then. They were always arguing. I think they were actually talking divorce."

She gave her friend a sympathetic look. That wasn't an easy thing for a kid to deal with. "Hmm. Could these dreams be a reaction to that? Like, as a kind of escape from the situation? Not that I could blame you!" she hurriedly added.

Issei considered that for a moment, finally shrugging. "I guess it's possible," he said. "You've got a point. I was virtually a hikikomori during that year, and I spent a lot of time sleeping…" He shrugged. "So, I guess that's where it comes from."

"Did you ever tell your parents about it?" she asked.

"Once," he said. "When I was… eleven, I think. Told them about the dreams. Tou-san shrugged it off, said dreams about girls were natural. Kaa-san just pretended I didn't say anything."

"I can see how that'd affect you," Kaori told him. She really could, too. She wondered if anyone else at school had any idea. She wondered if anyone outside of the Student Council, and maybe the ORC, would care. "You had a dream that made you happy, and you clung to it…" That kind of dream, and the onset of puberty, and his parents deciding to pretend he hadn't even asked anything… yeah, she could see how that would go.

"And ran with it, maybe too far," he said, pausing to stretch.

"And then you started changing," Kaori observed in a curious voice. "Started… trying to bring it under control. I take it that kaichou was the reason?"

"The main one," he agreed, fidgeting again. "But… not the only one. I'd always been into computers, since middle school, and one day, just before we graduated middle school, I read an article about creating AIs… artificial intelligences," he explained.

"I've seen movies with those," she told him, making a go-on gesture.

He rubbed the back of his head. "I guess it occurred to me that maybe I could make my own AI harem if I learned enough about programming, and so I didn't need to do stuff like that anymore…" He shrugged. "It wasn't very long after that that Sona-san and I started getting to know each other, though, and it wasn't very long after _that_ that I started falling for her. The ball was already rolling by then…" He stretched and yawned, adding, "You know, I don't think I've told this to anyone else."

"Not even kaichou?" Kaori said, surprised.

"Nope," Issei said, rubbing his shoulder. "I haven't really thought it through in a long time. I guess something about you made me feel I could talk about it, Kaori-san."

"That's kind… thanks…" The lighting in the storage room was dim, a fact that Kaori was grateful for right now. Her cheeks felt warm enough to do yakiniku on. "And you should probably tell kaichou that story, too. Don't tell her you told me first, though." She had to push that out in a rush, too. The urge to hold onto a secret about him that only _she_ knew had been strong.

"Good idea. Thank you for listening, Kaori-san." Issei grinned at her.

The kendoka smiled back weakly. She couldn't help thinking back to the short conversation that Sona-kaichou had had with her the day after she'd become a Devil. Admitting her feelings for Issei, at least to herself, was becoming less and less of a problem. Knowing what to do with them, especially when she knew what path would make it possible to act on them, was an entirely different matter.

Right now, it was all she could do not to ask him to drop the "san" when talking to her.

Aloud, she said, "We'd better hurry. Kaichou and Asia-chan are probably waiting for us."

* * *

"Shizuku-san! Come in, it's been forever. How are you? How are your parents?"

"They're well, thank you, Rio-dono. They send their regards." Shizuku entered the Hyoudou residence, toeing off her shoes carefully. She had a large bundle slung over her left shoulder.

Rio eyed that bundle. "Am I to take it that you're on official business?"

"Partly. Well, mostly," she admitted as Rio guided her into the living room.

"Have a seat," Rio told her. "I have some tea ready, if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that," Shizuku said gratefully. She and Rio made small talk over tea and crackers for a short while, before the lady of the house guided the conversation back towards duty. "So, Shizuku-san, I assume that your 'official business' is what's inside the bundle."

"Perceptive as always, Rio-dono." Shizuku unwrapped the bundle, taking great care as she did. Inside the traveling blanket rested a tsurugi-style sword, its hilt wrapped in sky-blue silk and its scabbard a lacquered rust-red. She set the sword on the coffee table.

Rio regarded it for a long moment, in the same fashion that one might regard a long-ago lover kissing someone else. Finally, she said, "I returned Ame-no-Ohabari to Yasaka-san for a reason, Shizuku-san. I didn't believe I could both be a mother and wield it properly. That hasn't changed."

"Yasaka-dono begs to differ." Shizuku's voice was one of respectful disagreement. "I share her opinion. Please, take up the sword again. See for yourself."

Rio gave her a searching look, then gripped the sword by the scabbard and stood. As she did, the sword's form warped and changed, growing into a tachi with a white tassel dangling from the pommel. The homemaker regarded the change with narrowed eyes.

"You see? Ame-no-Ohabari recalls the preferred form of the last wielder to demonstrate her worthiness," Shizuku said. "It shows that her worthiness has not lapsed."

The "Holy Swords" of Shinto mythology were not, strictly speaking, exactly the same as those of the West. They were almost all of divine origin themselves, created in Takamagahara by and for the gods, and their heroes or descendants. In fact, they were arguably divine entities themselves, sentient and able to manipulate both their own forms and the elements associated with their original divine wielders. Ame-no-Ohabari had been the blade of the progenitor deity Izanagi, who used to it to slay the fire-kami Kagatsuchi, whose burning birth had killed Izanagi's wife. This made it a blade capable of wreathing itself in flame, or striking opponents at long range with white-hot plasma.

Shinto Holy Sword wielders with sufficient skill and willpower could persuade their weapon's kami to take the form of sword types they were more accustomed to. And the former Doumon Rio had been the most skilled wielder of Ame-no-Ohabari in centuries. That, and her other more... energetic talents, had contributed to her nickname of Aoikaji-hime, the "Azure Conflagration Princess."

"I suppose so," Rio said, her voice heavy with mixed emotions. She looked as though a missing limb had suddenly been returned to its socket, though. "I assume there's a reason Yasaka-san is so insistent about this, then?"

"There is a good chance that someone in Grigori has started targeting Sacred Gear users," Shizuku told her. She held up a hand as Rio's eyes widened. "We don't believe that Azazel or his confidants are pushing for this, but there is a good chance that someone at or near their level is trying to build a Sacred Gear stockpile for some purpose."

Rio digested that as she sat back down, laying Ame-no-Ohabari across her lap. This tracked entirely too well with the circumstances around Issei's reincarnation, and Asia's rescue. (Not that she needed to share this with Shizuku just yet.) The implication was clear: Issei was a Sacred Gear user, or at least bore one, and that made him a target…

"So this is for our defense," she said finally.

Shizuku nodded. "It's not, strictly speaking, a by-the-book application of the strictures for Holy Sword usage. But what affects the family of the Aoikaji-hime would likely have repercussions for Kyoto and Takamagahara, so…" She shrugged.

Rio nodded. "Thank you." Her brows knitted as a thought occurred to her. "I'm surprised you're not wielding Ame-no-Ohabari, Shizuku-san…"

"I carry Futsu-no-Mitama," Shizuku explained. "My elemental affinity for air and lightning is far higher." She paused, then added, "There is additional news that will probably affect you."

Rio's eyes sharpened. "Oh?"

"This will take explaining," Shizuku sighed. "Tsukiyomi-dono has returned to Takamagahara."

"...Amaterasu-dono has _allowed_ him to?" Rio asked incredulously, raising both eyebrows.

"There have been conditions, but yes," Shizuku said, her own expression matching Rio's. "He accepted them readily enough. It seems he's eager to actually reconcile with her."

"I see," Rio replied. Her tone said "I'll believe _that_ when I see it." It wasn't, precisely speaking, a rare opinion among those with ties to Kyoto or the kami. "You'll forgive me, Shizuku-san, if I'm not seeing what this has to do with me…"

"One of the conditions was that he relinquish Yozoragiri," Shizuku stated. "Kyoto has taken possession of it, but Yasaka-dono is seeking a more permanent solution. Like, for example, a suitable wielder…"

Rio stared at her in shocked silence. The term "cursed Holy Sword" might be an oxymoron, but if it could be said to apply to anything, it would have to be Yozoragiri. That wasn't even the sword's original name, but no one remembered it… or admitted to remembering it. Not even Tsukiyomi. It was the sword that he'd killed the fertility goddess Uke-mochi with, the act that had gotten him banished from Amaterasu's sight. (And, not coincidentally, formed the basis of the myth about the sun and moon never meeting.) As a divine sword that had slain a goddess, it was undeniably powerful, but it was considered a spiritual hot potato for the same reason.

"A suitable wielder? For _that_?" Rio said. She was looking less thunderstruck now, but her tone was still incredulous.

"You'll understand. No one in Kyoto is willing to touch it. But, if we could find a suitable wielder here, use it as a pretext to strengthen cordial ties…"

"You're thinking of offering it to the Devils?" Rio asked. She hated to admit it, but that wasn't the craziest idea she'd ever heard. Offering a Holy Sword, even a cursed one, as a gift of friendship was a gesture that all but demanded reciprocation. It would definitely get Yozoragiri away from Takamagahara, and potentially keep a recidivist Tsukiyomi from claiming its power. And, if Kyoto could make sure it went to a relatively ethical (or, at least, pragmatic) wielder, there was a good chance that they could guarantee that the sword was pointed at the right enemies (or, at least, away from Kyoto).

"That line of thought is on the table, yes," Shizuku said. "I already have two promising candidates at the Academy. One of them is in your daughter-in-law's peerage."

Rio had to smile, albeit ruefully. "Naturally. I suppose you're telling me that Issei is going to be a crux for events, then?"

"There is a good chance of that, yes," Shizuku said apologetically. "Joining Sona-san's peerage may be the best thing for him in the long run, but I'm certain there are things that you and Gorou-dono could teach him. Should, even…" She blushed. "My apologies. I overstepped."

"It's nothing we haven't considered," Rio sighed. "We were hoping to put it off until he had graduated, but with events moving the way they seem to be… yes. We'll speak with him tonight. He'll probably have Sona-san with him, and maybe she can help soften the blow about Gorou-kun and I."

"They're actually pretty well-matched. I think she will," Shizuku agreed. "You should know that he's joined the kendo club now. Perhaps Ame-no-Ohabari will pass to him, eventually."

"I somehow doubt that," Rio said wistfully. "But I hope he learns some things from you."

Both of them looked up as they heard the front door open. Rio let out another sigh. "I suppose that conversation will be taking place now, then."

"I have faith in you, Rio-dono." Shizuku gave her a reassuring smile. "And him, too, if it comes to that." She rolled the blanket back up into the bundle, and stood, shouldering it once more. As Issei, Sona, Asia, and a brunette Rio had never seen before came into view, the kendo club captain offered them a bow. "Murayama. Hyoudou-kun. Shitori-san."

"Buchou?" Issei and "Murayama" asked in unison, clearly surprised. Sona looked somewhat less surprised, but even her expression wasn't completely free of it. Asia was just completely lost.

"I was just calling upon your mother, Hyoudou-kun," Shizuku said briskly. "Your parents, and mine in Kyoto, are old friends."

"My parents' old friends are starting to come up a lot lately," Issei said curiously.

"I suppose it might seem that way," Shizuku replied, her tone equable. "Rio-dono, have a good evening." She offered a bow to her club members and Sona, who returned them automatically, and took her leave. Rio felt a momentary spike of combined irritation and admiration. Shizuku's mother, Sayaka, had a similar talent for making narrow escapes and leaving other people to explain.

"Kaa-san, this is Murayama Kaori-san," Issei said, his tone slightly quizzical. "She's a friend from the kendo club, and - why is there a tachi on the coffee table?" He started to enter the living room, and then stopped, his expression suddenly pinched as if he were experiencing a severe headache. "What the hell - "

"Step back, Issei-kun," Sona said softly. "Rio-san, is that a Holy Sword?"

"...yes. Yes it is, Sona-san," Rio replied, with more formality than she'd used in speaking to her future daughter-in-law thus far. "Give me a moment, and I'll put it up."

"Thank you, that'd be appreciated." Sona's voice sounded slightly more relaxed now.

Rio picked up the sword, heading towards the back stairs and the master bedroom. As she went, she mentally "turned on" the passive eavesdropping spell she'd long since laid into the living room walls. (She'd thought about casting one on Issei's room, a long time ago, but since he'd hit puberty she'd decided against it for her own sanity.)

-xxxx-

" _Sona-chan, what's going on?" Issei asked, his tone starting to sound… not panicked, but wary._

" _Your mother and I will explain as soon as she puts the sword away," Sona told him, trying to reassure him._

" _Is this a secret? I thought I asked you to - " Rio knew that tone, that sound of ramping-up in her son's voice. She also heard it cut off, and wondered what Sona had done to make it stop. Maybe it was physical touch… since they'd revealed their engagement, she'd noticed that little touches between the two of them had become common. The realization that she and Gorou might have contributed to Issei being touch-starved occurred to Rio, bringing guilt with it._

" _I didn't know anything for sure until just now," Sona said, her tone remorseful. All the stories said the Sitri heiress was cool and calculating, and Rio had seen that for herself. But she also knew that Sona adored her son. It was more than a little uncomfortable, seeing those two things clash like this. "Just… rumors and suspicion. You're right, though. I'm sorry."_

" _I… it's fine. I just really don't want this to be a habit, okay?" Issei's tone was calmer, more reasoned, now. Rio silently wondered what the other girls were thinking of this. By now, she had reached the master bedroom, and she set Ame-no-Ohabari on the dresser, on the empty sword rack she'd never been able to bring herself to get rid of. It was kind of sad, how happy she was to have the Holy Sword back in her possession._

" _I promise. It won't be." Sona's voice sounded absolutely sincere. Rio hoped that she would be able to stick to that._

" _Ise, do you want me and Asia-chan to put the takeout in the kitchen?" That was the new girl, Murayama. She seemed to be trying to move the subject towards something more comfortable. Also, the way she was referring to Issei… it sounded like his father's heritage might be coming into play._

" _Yeah, go ahead, please," Issei said. Rio decided now was a good time to put in an appearance. She let the eavesdropping spell go dormant again, and walked calmly down the stairs._

-xxxx-

Issei and Sona sat, side by side, on one of the couches in the living room, holding each others' hands in a death grip. Both of them seemed to be in somewhat better spirits. Rio sat across from them. "For the record," she said calmly, "I approve of the heiress to the House of Sitri being my daughter-in-law. You clearly care a great deal for my son."

"I do," Sona said firmly. "And that's why I'd like to discuss some things about him."

"I'm really tired of being kept in the dark," Issei said softly, his voice not quite free from a note of plaintiveness. Both women in the room flinched, looking at him contritely.

"I won't anymore, Issei," Rio promised, her expression still stricken. "Ask what you need to ask."

"It'll be easier to show you." Issei gave Sona's hand a last squeeze and rose. By now, the _Rekka-dan_ gestures had become second nature. He watched his mother's face as the blue-white flames came to life, wreathing his hands. It was the look of a woman seeing something she knew like the back of her hand.

"Yes," she said finally. "You get that from me. It's the signature magic of our branch of the Doumon family."

"Doumon?" Sona's head snapped up in surprise. "As in, of the Five Great Families?"

She glanced at Issei. "Anata, could you please…"

"Huh? Oh, right." Issei made a shaking-free motion with his hands, bidding the flames disappear. "So you're a pyrokinetic too, kaa-san?" He gave Sona a sideways look. "Five great families?"

"Yes, although my parents never liked that term," Rio replied. "And the Five Families are old noble clans associated with the Shinto Faction, and through them, the Kyoto Faction. They're a… complicated thing. I haven't exactly been on speaking terms with the our family's main line in years, anyway." She sighed. "I have a lot of things to tell you, Issei. Both your father and I."

"Well… I mean, as long as you're being up front now," Issei said, attempting a reassuring tone.

"Yes," Rio said with a nod. "Let's go out back, so I can show you my pyrokinesis."

Sona rose to her feet. "I'd be very curious to see, as well."

"Dinner's ready to - what's going on?" Asia asked as she saw Rio, Issei, and Sona headed into the backyard.

"Kaa-san is gonna show us her pyrokinesis," Issei said offhandedly. He then ground to a halt, realizing that Asia might not have any idea what he was talking about. Between the mentions of Holy Swords, and everyone suddenly acting weird…

"Oh, interesting," she said brightly. "I'd like to see it, too."

"Me too," Kaori said.

"Well, come on, then," Rio urged the teenagers. As they stepped outside, she waved a hand, a magical circle briefly flaring to life before her; the light pitter-pat of rain died away, blocked off by an invisible field. Once they'd followed her into the backyard, she commented, "The way you manifest your flames is very clever, Issei. All those video games when you were supposed to be at middle school, I presume?" She sounded more amused than anything else.

"Seems that way," Issei answered, rubbing the back of his head. "You're not the first one to make that observation."

"Mine is a little more dramatic," Rio admitted. "Give me some room, please. Ten meters should do." Once the teenagers had backed up that far, she took a deep breath. That same blue-white fire was suddenly surrounding her like an aura.

"Kaa-san!" Issei blurted out, starting to lurch forward to pull her from the flames. Sona and Kaori dragged him back, and as they did he blinked, fully processing her state within them. "That's amazing… how are you controlling them?"

"By willpower. You do the same, don't you?"

"Sort of… it's like, in my mind, my hands are the weapons, and the pyrokinesis the ammunition I load into it. Launching it is just like… you know, being a kid, playing like it's a toy gun. 'Bang.'" Issei made a finger-gun again, this time keeping his fire unmanifested, and mimed a firing motion.

Rio stared at him for a long moment, then smiled broadly. "That's very similar to how I do this." A long lick of blue flame reared up before her, and she closed her right hand around it. As she did so, the flames reshaped themselves into a tachi comprised entirely of fire.

"Wow," Issei whispered, eyes wide. Asia and Kaori could only nod in agreement, their own expressions awestruck.

"Aoikaji, indeed," Sona said in amazement. "That's _remarkable_ pyrokinetic control, Rio-san. Imagine what Issei-kun will be capable of in the future…"

"I suppose that's your way of asking if I'll help train him," Rio said in a good-naturedly teasing tone. "The answer is yes, although it seems he's off to a good start already."

"Wait, Sona-chan… you said that last week, didn't you?" Issei said curiously. "'Azure conflagration?'"

"I suppose that's come back to haunt me." Rio smiled ruefully. "When I was actively working for the Kyoto Faction, I had earned the nickname 'Aoikaji-hime' because of my pyrokinesis. The 'hime' had more to do with being part of the Doumon family."

"Sona-chan's told me a little about the Kyoto Faction," Issei admitted. "I know zilch about your family, though, kaa-san."

"Let's go in and eat," Rio suggested. "I'll tell you a little about them."

-xxxx-

"So what is tou-san?" Issei asked curiously. They'd made short work of the sushi platters that Sona had bought, although a large portion had been set aside for his father's dinner.

"I'd really prefer to wait until your father gets home, before we get into that," Rio answered. "Mine isn't the only side of the family you've inherited gifts from. And, just as he's not well-equipped to address my pyrokinesis, I'm not well-equipped to discuss his abilities."

"Issei-san doesn't know?" Asia asked curiously.

He turned towards her, his mouth falling open. " _You_ know?!"

"Well, your parents rescued me from…" Asia trailed off as she saw the look on Rio's face. It wasn't exactly a facepalm, but it sure carried the same connotations.

"Who did you rescue Asia-chan from?" Sona asked carefully, reaching for Issei's hand again.

"...rogue Grigori agents," Rio said softly. "Led by the one who tried to kill Issei."

"Raynare?" Issei looked shocked. "Wait, how did you know about - "

"Shizuku-san is also the Kyoto Faction observer in Kyoto," Sona explained. "I'm guessing that's how your parents found out."

"Is there _anything_ buchou doesn't have a hand in around here?" Kaori wondered aloud.

"The Yaegashi family has a talent for staying tapped into _everything_ ," Rio told the kendoka. "It's part of what makes them so useful for Kyoto." For a moment, it looked to Issei like his mother was sizing Kaori up, but he couldn't imagine what for.

"And… what happened to her? Raynare?" Issei leaned back in his chair, still looking gobsmacked.

"Grigori has her imprisoned. They think she's working with a rogue of Fallen Angels, so she's being questioned." Rio gave her son a reassuring look. "She won't be bothering you again, Issei. A friend of ours in Grigori will see to that."

Issei let out a shuddering breath, still clinging to Sona's hand.. That wasn't something he'd even thought about, the possibility of Raynare coming back to make another try for his Sacred Gear. The fact that she wasn't a threat anymore was reassuring.

That still left the question dangling, though. "Kaa-san… what _is_ tou-san? If you're a fire mage, what is he?"

Asia and Rio exchanged looks again. The latter sighed, giving the former nun a go-ahead gesture. She cleared her throat, and said, "Um, Issei-san, your father is a dragon."

"Say _what_ now?" Issei repeated in shock, goggling at Asia. Sona and Kaori were reacting in a similar fashion.

"It's true." Rio glanced to one side. "He's a Japanese dragon. The Kyoto Faction has a nickname for him, like it does for me. 'Kuroreppu.'"

"The 'Black Gale,'" Issei mused. "That's… honestly, that's _cool_. So is 'Aoikaji-hime.' I wish you guys had _told_ me these things!"

"There were some painful things that happened around the time we went into retirement," Rio said, something dark and haunted flashing through her eyes. For a moment, Issei felt a pang of something himself, like there was something he should be asking… but his mother had resumed speaking. "We wanted to put as much of it behind us as we could. But we should have guessed that, this being Kuoh, the supernatural would find its way to you."

"Well… things turned out okay, so I can't complain," Issei said, giving Sona a quick smile. She relaxed beside him, squeezing his hand.

They glanced up as they heard the front door open and shut, and Gorou call out, "Rio, I'm home! Do we have guests?"

Rio rose, going to the dining room's doorway. "Welcome home, Gorou-kun. Yes, Sona-chan brought dinner for all of us, and one of Issei's friends from kendo club came as well."

"Sounds great," Gorou said, loosening his tie as he entered the room. He stopped at the incredulous look he was getting from Issei. "Something wrong, son?"

"When were you gonna tell me I was half-dragon?" Issei blurted out, his tone matching his expression. "And for that matter, why does a dragon work in an office?"

"That's… a long story," Gorou answered, frozen in the doorway. His own expression was one of utter stupefaction. "Rio…?"

"Shizuku-san returned Ame-no-Ohabari to me today, and Issei came home while she was still here," Rio explained as she returned to her chair. "He knows, Gorou-kun."

"Ah." His shock subsiding, Gorou sat next to his wife, and sighed. "All right, Issei. You're right, we should have told you earlier. Particularly when you and Sona-chan started getting close."

Issei's expression started shifting from incredulity to awkwardness. "Well… like I told kaa-san, as long as you're being up front about stuff now, it's fine. Um, after dinner, I have questions about being a half-dragon."

"No buzzing control towers," Rio said immediately, her tone stern.

"You _do_ that? Wait - can _I_ do that?"

" _No buzzing control towers_ ," Rio repeated, this time more forcefully.

"Yes, kaa-san," Issei muttered.

* * *

"It's only difficult the first time," Gorou explained. "It's a matter of understanding that you're more than just the form you currently wear. We spend most of our time in human bodies because, in most ways, they're far more convenient. But that doesn't mean it's your _natural_ form." He and Issei stood in the middle of the backyard, while Rio, Sona, Asia, and Kaori stood near the back door. Rio had again raised a forcefield against the drizzle, and she and Gorou had insisted that Issei have as wide a berth as possible for his first transformation.

"Are there others like us in Japan?" Issei asked curiously.

"Dragons aren't exactly common in the world anymore," Gorou answered. "Even in earlier times, our numbers weren't overwhelming. But, yes, and most of them are aligned with the Kyoto Faction as well." Gorou drummed his fingers idly on his pants leg. "The Hyoudou family is descended directly from Ryuujin, as are a handful of others. Most of the rest are descended from relatively minor dragon kami."

"Wait, what?!" Issei's jaw dropped. "We're descended from _Ryuujin_? Does that make us…" He looked at Sona. "The term is 'demigod,' right?"

"As far as I understand it," Sona said, and if her tone was still analytical, her expression was not.

"Technically, I suppose, although there's been a _lot_ of intervening generations." Gorou rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Don't go crossing the Ama-no-Ukihashi, or knocking at Ryuujin's palace gates, unless you want polite confusion at best. Not until you've made a name for yourself, at least."

"Wow… okay…" Issei turned towards Rio. "You know all this too, right, kaa-san?"

Rio nodded. "It's a lot to unpack, I know. Don't dwell too much on it right now."

"Your mother's right. We've drifted off-topic." Gorou cleared his throat. "Concentrate. Close your eyes if it helps, but concentrate, and reach inside yourself." He held up a hand, looking slightly exasperated, before Issei could say anything. "I know how it sounds. But it'll make sense."

"Okay." Issei closed his eyes and tried "reaching inside" himself. At first, it really _did_ sound silly. But after a moment… it was hard for him to really describe, later on. The closest he could come up with was that it was like finding a program icon on his desktop that he'd never noticed before, and that "clicking" on it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

From an external perspective, his parents and friends stared in wonderment as Hyoudou Issei suddenly exploded in size, midnight-blue scales replacing human flesh. Moments later, a Japanese dragon crouched in the backyard, looking around as if it were seeing the world - really seeing it - for the first time.

"Is this for real?" Issei's voice came from the dragon's mouth, excited and loud.

"Yes, it is." Gorou's voice was full of pride. "Good job, son. Now, try lowering your voice. The wards around the fence are good, but they're not _that_ good."

Sona slowly approached Issei, moving as if in a dream. Finally reaching him, she rested a hand on his snout. He nudged her hand with his snout, like a cat forcing someone to pet it, and he watched in delight as her lips curled upward in a wide, uncomplicated smile.

"You really _are_ my Issei-kun, aren't you?" she said softly.

"Of course I am," he replied. It was remarkable how strong his senses were right now. Sona smelled like flowers - no, like an entire _garden_ , in the aftermath of a springtime drizzle. "Sona-chan, this is - I can't begin to describe it."

"I think 'amazing' works well enough," Sona replied, petting his head.

"Now, let's teach you to fly," Gorou suggested.

"Flying…" Issei looked up, and it was clear from his body language, even as a dragon, that the idea had his interest.

"Flying." Gorou blinked, and suddenly there were two Japanese dragons crowded under Rio's magical anti-rain shield. "The best way to learn is by doing. How about your girls hop on your back, and your mom and Asia-chan get on mine, and we have a little race?"

"Race?" Issei perked up. With some reluctance, he started to add, "And it's not like that with Kaori-san."

"First one to Yokohama wins," Gorou said, clearly ignoring Issei's last sentence. "Loser buys everyone a late-night snack."

"Which way's Yokohama?" Issei asked dubiously.

"I'll let your girls navigate for you," Gorou said in a magnanimous tone. He smirked at his son. "Think you can keep up with me, boy?"

Issei stared back, fully aware he was being baited. Not that he really cared right now… "You just try and stop me, old man!" he retorted, and then turned his gaze towards Sona and Kaori. "You two okay with this?"

Sona nodded. "I'll be fine either way. You just beat your father." She swung herself easily onto Issei's back and fished out her phone, opening a navigation app.

Kaori was pale, but gave him a determined look. "We'll hang in there. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I fell off a dragon's back the first time I rode one!" She climbed up behind Sona, shifting around until she was comfortable.

"Come _on_ , Gorou-kun! Let's show Issei how it's done!" Rio paused thoughtfully, then said, "Actually, that _is_ the point of this entire exercise, isn't it?" She hopped onto Gorou's back with the ease of long experience, and looked at Asia, reaching down a hand. "Just hold on to me tightly, Asia-chan."

Asia nodded, letting Rio pull her upwards.

Gorou waited until Rio and Asia were seated comfortably, then turned towards Issei. "When you want to take off for the first time, think of it as if you're jumping, and then starting to run. Point yourself upwards." He smiled a draconic smile. "Try to break through the cloudline. The sight of the sky for the first time, from above the clouds… there's nothing like it." And with that, he oriented himself so that he was facing the sky, and shot upwards like an arrow, piercing through the cloud cover.

"Okay. Hold on, you two," Issei said, as he carefully emulated his father's positioning. He tensed, and then… jumped and ran, like Gorou had said, and the ground rapidly fell away from beneath him, and the clouds got bigger and bigger. He shot into them, barely hearing the noises of surprise and dismay from Sona and Kaori, but before he could react to them he was coming out the other side.

His father had been right.

There really _wasn't_ anything like this.

"Oh, Maou," Sona breathed. "Issei-kun, it's beautiful…"

"Ise…" Kaori trailed off, awestruck, and gulped. "I never thought I'd see _anything_ like this."

Around them, the sky was a deep, dark blue, dotted with a myriad of white-silver pinpricks of light. A gleaming white half-moon hung serenely among them, as if it were a benevolent monarch holding court. Beneath them were the clouds, fluffy and perfectly matching the color of the moonlight. Not far away, as aeronautical distances went, Gorou was also adrift in the sky. The elder dragon looked pleased as punch.

"Well? What'd I tell you?" he said with a good-natured smirk.

"You weren't kidding!" Issei enthused. "I feel almost like we're flying in space."

"It is a little like that," Gorou agreed. "Ready to race?"

Sona fiddled with her phone, and said aloud, "Ready to navigate for you, Issei-kun."

"Thanks, Sona-chan." Issei looked at his father. "Ready when you are."

"See you in Yokohama, then." Gorou rocketed off, and Issei scrambled after him.

-xxxx-

When asked to describe it later, Issei would say that was flying was like "riding a bike." It wasn't exactly like that, but it was the closest analogy he could come up with. It was a matter of finding the most desirable wind currents and "riding" them, pushing upwards with effort to rise in altitude and doing the inverse to go lower, and he did that by… "pedaling and steering" was the best analogy he could come up with.

He instinctively grasped the basics of it, but keeping up with his father was proving to be more of a challenge than he'd expected. Especially when Gorou kept pulling off these ridiculous maneuvers… damned show-off. And trying to make sure Sona and Kaori remained safe and snug also proved a challenge. Not to mention that Sona leaning close to his ear to call out directions constantly bordered on… distracting.

He gritted his teeth and plowed on, resisting the urge to go nape-of-the-earth and spook drivers. He sensed a better current and leaned into it, gaining altitude and… "tightening down" was the best way he could describe it at the time. Later, he'd compare it to a classic VF-1 Valkyrie pulling its wings in tighter to speed up. In any event, he shot ahead of his father, the air around him whipping past even faster. He let out a whoop of delight, resisting the urge to attempt a barrel roll.

"Yessss," he heard Sona murmur in satisfaction, stroking his head. Kaori let out a whoop of her own, pumping a fist into the air.

-xxxx-

"He'll be pissed if he finds out you let him have this one," Rio observed conversationally. She was actually sitting cross-legged on her husband's back, something that Asia marveled at.

"Who says I did?" Gorou said lazily. "He's high on adrenaline and showing off for his girls. I didn't have to slow down or anything." True to his words, he was flying at a pretty brisk clip… though not as brisk as Issei's comet impression.

"But Kaori-san's not his girl," Asia said curiously. "He's engaged to Sona-san, right?"

"True. But I have a feeling about Kaori-chan. After all, it's common for both Devils and dragons to have multiple spouses," Rio explained.

Asia opened her mouth to speak, then snapped it shut. She suspected she knew the answer. It was too late to avert awkwardness, though; Rio was already wincing. She couldn't see Gorou's expression, or even read a dragon's face, but she could feel a tension in him that hadn't been there a moment before. The former nun cringed. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"No no, you didn't do anything wrong," Rio said quickly. "There are reasons it's been just Gorou-kun and I for a long time." Before Asia could ask, Rio said even more quickly, "Yes. What you're probably thinking of… that's a large part of it. I'd prefer not to discuss it further right now…"

"Of course." Asia spoke quickly herself, in a hurry to dispel the sudden gloom. The damage was done, though, and the gloom didn't start lifting until their flight took them near Yokohama.

-xxxx-

"What else do I need to know?" Issei asked eagerly. The six of them were standing outside an izakaya in Yokohama, nibbling on yakitori. The night sky was clear, a welcome change from the low-level deluge Kuoh had been stewing in. The teenagers were drinking ramune, while Gorou and Rio were drinking beer. Rio was watching her husband like a hawk, to make sure his intake stayed minimal.

"Next, let's cover your senses," Gorou told him. "Even in your human form, you'll find them enhanced. Especially scent. Scent will be very important to you. The people who're important to you - family, friends, mates - will have very distinctive smells to them. The closer they are to you, the more detailed their scent. It'll often be overlaid with impressions of flavors. Places too, or times of year, or even abstract concepts."

"'Abstract concepts,'" Issei repeated dubiously. "Through _scent_?"

"Not like math or philosophy," Gorou said exasperatedly. "More... emotional. Love, home, family, things like that. I'm sure the way Sona-chan smells to you will be very complex, very laden with that kind of meaning."

"Gorou-kun," Rio said, gently swatting her husband's arm. "Be a little more delicate, please."

"What does kaa-san smell like to you, then?" Issei asked pointedly.

"Yakiniku," Gorou answered bluntly.

Rio turned bright red. "Honestly… talk about things you never get to live down…"

"I don't want him to elaborate on that, do I?" Issei asked dryly.

"No, you do _not_." Rio's tone brooked no argument.

Sona's face was slightly pink now. That didn't stop her from asking curiously, "Issei-kun? What is my scent like to you?"

Issei closed his eyes, remembering earlier. "...a garden just after a spring rain. Cool and clean, all the flowers in bloom, soothing…" He opened his eyes, smiling sheepishly. "Home."

Sona's face just got pinker. A tremulous smile on her face, she said softly, "That may be the most poetic thing anyone's ever told me."

Kaori fidgeted in place, finally mustering up the courage to ask. "Ise? What do I smell like to you?"

Issei blinked, his own face suddenly reddening. "Um. Hmm. Let me…" He inhaled quickly, thinking, and his brows knit in bemusement. "Cinnamon and… sugar? And baked dough? A cookie, I think - what are those cookies made with cinnamon and sugar called?"

"Snickerdoodles," Sona said, her tone intrigued, and gave Kaori an appraising look.

"My mother's shown me how to make those," Kaori said softly, trying and failing not to blush.

"That's what your scent is like to me," Issei said, looking anywhere but at her. "Those kind of cookies, cooling on the windowsill on a summer's day, their scent filling the house." He stopped abruptly, as if afraid of thinking aloud further.

"Like I said, scents are really detailed with the girls you l - " Gorou winced as Rio drove her elbow into his gut. "Oh, fine, fine. Issei, what do your mother and I smell like to you?"

"Kaa-san smells like fire," Issei said quickly. He was clearly glad for the subject change. "A campfire in the forest, with pine trees around." Another quick inhalation. "You smell like salt water and ozone."

"Interesting," Rio said, sounding pleased. "My branch of the Doumon family actually lived in a forest estate… that description is oddly nostalgic for me."

"Salt water, huh?" Gorou said, cocking his head. "I _do_ like skimming the shoreline while flying. Your mother will back me up on this."

"I will not back him up on _justifying_ it, though," Rio said archly. "Your father's been known to try and buzz air-control towers. Give some poor folks heart attacks."

"No buzzing control towers, Issei-kun," Sona said immediately. Rio had opened her mouth to say it, but gave Sona an approving look instead.

"What about highways?" he asked dryly.

"Only after midnight." There was a hint of dry humor in her tone now. Issei had a feeling that if he _did_ try flying NOE late at night, Sona would be along for the ride.

"What do _I_ smell like?" Asia asked curiously.

"Breakfast cereal," Issei and Gorou answered simultaneously, then eyed each other suspiciously. That was enough for the others to burst into laughter.

* * *

"So I hope this isn't a dealbreaker, me being a dragon and all," Issei joked. It was well after midnight. Kaori had been dropped off on the way back to his house, and he and Sona were now getting ready for bed.

"Of course not." Sona smirked affectionately at him. "You're not the first dragon to have been reincarnated as a Devil, but they're still very uncommon. Remember what I said about you being special because you're you?"

"Yeah, I do," he said, his tone now slightly bashful.

"Not that this really changes anything," she assured him. "You'd be just as special to me if you _were_ just a programmer."

"I feel the same," Issei told her, wrapping his arms around her. "Although 'if you were just the Student Council president' doesn't sound as dramatic."

"It's the thought that counts." Sona gave him a slow smile. The heat from it would have surprised anyone at Kuoh Academy, even now. Even Rias or her peerage-mates would have been surprised by the combination of naked desire, sardonic humor, and cavity-inducing affection in that grin. It was a wonder that it wasn't paralyzing Issei, and he honestly wasn't escaping it unscathed. No, part of him was actually, well, standing at attention and saluting her… "So I'm a dragon's senior wife."

"Yes. You are," he told her, leaning in for a kiss.

Sona's lips met his hungrily. The kiss lasted a long time, and their hands did not exactly remain idle. As they broke for air, she shoved him gently back onto his bed. "You know, there are stories about dragons…" she said in a matter-of-fact tone, which provided a not-unpleasant contrast with the way she was pulling off his T-shirt.

"I think I've heard a few," he murmured back, his fingers unbuttoning the school shirt of his that she wore as a nightshirt. "Why don't we see if they're true?"

"Why don't we?" she agreed, and closed the gap between their mouths again.

-xxxx-

"I bet they think they're being quiet, too," Gorou remarked. The noises coming from Issei's room weren't the loudest throes of passion he'd ever overheard, but they certainly were enthusiastic.

"Probably," Rio said with an exaggeratedly-dramatic sigh. She waved a hand, a magical circle appearing before it briefly. When the circle faded away, the noises were muted.

"That's much better," Gorou said, pecking his wife on the cheek. He followed that with another peck, and then a kiss to her mouth. His hands started to move towards the hem of her nightgown.

She returned the last kiss, and smirked at him. "You dragons really _do_ just have one thing on your minds, don't you?" Despite her words, her tone demonstrated a marked lack of distaste for the idea, and she made no move to deflect his hand.

"Guilty as charged," he grinned, his fingers finally sliding up under the nightgown's hem, causing her breath to momentarily hitch.

"Well… okay." She looped her arms around his neck and drew him back in for another kiss.

-xxxx-

In the end, Asia was the only one in the Hyoudou household to get a full night's sleep.

* * *

 **Thursday:**

* * *

It wasn't the improved vision or hearing that threw Issei for a loop. Being able to clearly see faces at one hundred-plus meters was more blessing than anything else, and as for hearing… well, it wasn't like he didn't already have a semi-cynical opinion about many of his schoolmates.

No, it was the enhanced sense of smell. Having superhuman olfactory sensitivity made for some interesting realizations about interpersonal dynamics. Issei was finding it instructive. The vast majority of people smelled like unscented soap, with no real distinguishing notes. It was the people he knew personally, though, that things got interesting.

Matsuda and Motohama both had the acrid, artificially-sweet scent of an energy drink… and that was about it. (It was a little sad, Issei thought, that their friendship boiled down to artificial flavoring.) Amanogawa-sempai was too-strong black coffee, while Yaegashi-buchou had a vague scent of autumn leaves. Katase - well, he steered as clear of her as he could, but there was a faint note of azaleas about her.

Most of the Council had distinctive scents, but not overwhelming ones. Saji had the scent of a strong, sharp curry. Ruruko was an odd-but-not-unpleasant blend of gasoline and black licorice (he had no idea where the former had come from). Momo was a caramel mocha. Tomoe was French bread, piping-hot from the oven. And Tsubaki-fukukaichou was green tea. (He wasn't looking forward to the next time he spent time with the ORC. He had a feeling that Gremory-sempai would smell like something cloyingly sweet, while Himejima-sempai would smell like something poisonous.)

It was the ones that he spent the most time with, the ones who seemed fated to replace Matsuda and Motohama as his best friends, who were the most vivid.

Aika smelled like freshly-made peppermint ice cream, with just enough hint of cold milk to suggest a milkshake. The aroma of baked apples, laced with cinnamon, surrounded Reya like an aura. Tsubasa was a bowl of just-picked strawberries in the summer heat, sweet and tangy in his nostrils.

And then there was Kaori.

Issei was trying to figure out when the four of them had become his friends. Well, okay, maybe not Tsubasa or Reya. He'd already known them for months, gotten along with them for that long. They, at least, made sense.

But Kaori and Aika? (And it had come so quickly, being able to think of them so easily by their first names.) It had happened virtually in the blink of an eye, but they were already at least as close to him as Matsuda and Motohama. More than, possibly; hadn't they been defending him in class, when those two idiots had just sat grinning on the sidelines? In some ways, it was almost as if they'd been waiting on him, waiting for him to try to be a decent person...

So they were his friends, then. Just friends, but ones he could actually count on for once. That was all, and that was enough.

Right?

Issei hoped it was just a coincidence that each of them was now linked in his mind with something he considered delicious. Given what tou-san had said, the more strongly he felt about someone, the more vivid and complex their scent was. So, if Tsubasa, Reya, and Aika were more vivid than the others, and Kaori more vivid than them, than anyone besides Sona -

So far, Kaori was the only one whose scent came close to Sona's, in terms of complexity and layers of meaning. Funnily enough, his fiancee was the only one whose scent _didn't_ carry associations of flavor and hunger. But at the same time, she was the scent he wanted to immerse himself in. Hers was a scent he could lay down and die amidst in contentment. (And wasn't _that_ a reassuring sentiment, he thought wryly.)

He hadn't ever really thought that what Sona had told him would be relevant. Or, rather, maybe he'd been reluctant to believe it, because it was too much a good thing. But, if he was already looking at -

He shook his head hard. (Unnoticed by him, Kaori, Reya, and Aika were eyeing him concernedly. Katase glanced over as well, but was more perplexed than anything else.) Whatever _he_ might be thinking, or - he couldn't admit the word "feeling" to himself, not yet - he shouldn't assume they'd reciprocate. At least not right away, anyway. No, he needed to take his time unpacking this, and he _really_ wasn't feel up to it right now.

This entire thing was hurting his head. He needed to get out of the classroom, bury his head in code. Code made sense. He wouldn't trade the last fourteen days for anything, but things had been _so_ much easier when his life had revolved around code…

Or maybe flying. Now that it was an option… that memory of breaking through the clouds and seeing an unsullied night sky still rang in his memory.

"You feeling okay, Ikkun?" he heard Aika ask softly. "You're looking kinda flushed."

"I think I'll live, but thanks," he murmured back. "Just dealing with new sensory stuff. It's a little overwhelming."

"Kaori mentioned something about dragons and scent associations," Aika said musingly, then smirked good-naturedly. "She turned bright red when I asked what she smelled like to you."

"...just cookies," he muttered. "That's all." No need to make his favorite kendoka blush. A moment later, he himself blushed, realizing what he'd thought.

"Uh… huh," Aika said dryly, watching him with a raised eyebrow. "I think you need to go lay down."

Issei folded his arms on the desk. "Just wake me if class starts being relevant."

"Will do." Aika leaned back at her desk, half-listening to the lecture. After a moment, she said softly, "Hey, Ikkun."

Issei shifted his eyes back over towards her. "Hmm?"

"Maybe take the rest of us flying sometime. Kaori said the view was awesome." Aika smiled genuinely, and for a moment, the scent of peppermint ice cream seemed to grow stronger.

"Sure," Issei said, pleasantly surprised. He lapsed back into silence, this time thoughtful rather than brooding, and again he didn't notice his peerage-mates glancing his way from time to time.

It didn't occur to him until much later to wonder just who "we" was.

* * *

"Took you long enough, Faax," Sellzen sneered at the lilac-haired man. A week spent hiding in a crackerbox apartment on Kuoh's less respectable side had done nothing for the rogue exorcist's attitude. The constant drizzle that had plagued the city since his arrival hadn't helped, either.

"Fuck off," the Fallen Angel shot back in reply. He brought with him a hardsided rolling suitcase, and had an unusually long gym bag slung over one shoulder. "You don't know what things are like at Grigori right now. Azazel and his toadies know something is up, and they're cracking down."

"Hmm." The former exorcist considered that, and nodded brusquely. "I guess I can see that. But that doesn't change what I need." He nodded at the suitcase the other man had brought in. "Is that all of it?"

"Most of it," Faax said. He hefted the suitcase onto the cheap folding table and unlatched it, swinging it open. Nested into foam inserts were twenty filled magazines for a high-caliber pistol. Such as, by sheer coincidence, the one holstered inside Sellzen's robes.

"Twenty full clips of Holy rounds," the Fallen Angel announced. "Underneath them is the holy water you wanted. Only two vials, though."

Sellzen looked irritated. "Ammo's good, but I wanted forty clips. And only two vials?"

"This is all Kokabiel was able to cover for the absence of," the lilac-haired man said pedantically. "You know our sources of both Holy ammunition and holy water are carefully monitored."

"Yeah, I guess." Sellzen sounded like a kid who knew he was tired, but refused to admit it. "All right, I guess I'll make do."

"There _is_ a bonus, though," Faax added, unslinging the gym bag and setting it on the table. "Galilei sent this for you. He seemed to think you could put it to good use."

Sellzen's expression lost its petulance, and he unzipped the bag. He grinned madly at what he saw inside. "Is this what I think it is?"

"He claims it is, anyway," Faax said, then added, "I need to head back."

"Sure," Sellzen said absently, staring almost worshipfully at the bag's contents.

"Sellzen. A word of advice." As the rogue exorcist looked at him, Faax shrugged. "I know you want the girl, but Azazel's made it clear she's not to be touched. Cross that line, and there'll be limits to how much Kokabiel can help you afterwards."

Sellzen shrugged. "I'll take that chance. It's not like the shitty Devils in this town can beat me in a fight."

"They have Sacred Gears," Faax pointed out. "And there are rumors about under-the-table help from Kyoto. Don't get cocky. That was Raynare's mistake."

Sellzen snorted. "Raynare is a walking mistake."

"And it's only because she and Dohnaseek are keeping their traps shut that no one's watching for you here." Faax shook his head. "Consider this a word to the wise."

"Fine, I'll take it under advisement." Sellzen nodded at the Fallen Angel. "You can go now."

Faax snorted and left. Sellzen waited until the door had shut before reaching into the bag and pulling out the sword it contained. It resembled a long kris, with a diamond-shaped gap in the blade one-third of the way along its length, and spikes along both edges.

He could admit that the Fallen Angel had a point. But he also knew his strengths. And with the Holy Sword of Heavenly Flare, there was no one in Kuoh who could stand against him.

* * *

 **Friday:**

* * *

" _Ichaaaaaan!_ " The voice came from behind Issei.

He turned and smiled at his future sister-in-law. "Sera-nee! What are you doing here?" He looked inquisitively at her. She was in magical-girl cosplay again, but it wasn't from a series he recognized.

"I came to see you and So-tan, of course," Serafall answered, striking a pose. "Also, I'm here to meet with the Kyoto Faction observer. But mostly to see you two!" She fell out of the pose and grabbed Issei's arm.

"Wait, you're meeting with buchou?" Issei raised both his eyebrows as they walked. "Is everything all right?"

"At the moment, yes," Serafall told him. "It has to do with a surprise for So-tan's new Knight. I actually got in last night to help arrange it."

"I guess that's why Sona-chan got in so late, and passed right out." Issei cocked his head. "Well, with that smile, it doesn't sound like anything bad…"

"Nope, not at all. Trust me, at this rate, So-tan will have the best-equipped peerage of her generation." Serafall abruptly grinned at her future brother-in-law as they walked. "So I've heard things about your family."

"I figured Sona-chan had told you," Issei mused.

"She also told me what you think she smells like," Serafall added dryly.

"Yeah, well…" He blushed.

"I wonder what kind of scent I give off?" the Maou wondered. "I hope it's something cute."

Issei inhaled quickly, cocking his head, and chuckled softly. "Would you believe mochi ice cream?"

"What kind?" she said thoughtfully.

"Kona coffee."

She smirked good-naturedly at him. "I guess I can live with that."

"By the way, I don't think I know the show that costume's from," he said curiously.

"Oh, I guess So-tan didn't mention it." Serafall's grin could be seen from orbit. "It's from _my_ show! I have a magical girl show of my own in the Underworld."

Issei paused and stared at her in amazement. "You do?"

Serafall nodded enthusiastically. "It's called _Miracle Levia-tan._ " Her grin turned into a smirk as Issei parsed the pun and winced. "It's based on some of my adventures when I was younger."

"Wow," Issei said. Truth be told, he was more grappling with the fact that she was probably much, much older than him. Even though she looked younger than Sona. Beside that, the fact that she had her own TV show was virtually mundane.

"And, you know, So-tan has a character on the show too," Serafall added, her smirk widening as Issei's eyes widened. "Want to see?"

"Um, sure…" Issei was pretty sure it would hardly be salacious, if Serafall's outfit was any indicator, but on the off chance… after all, it was his job as Sona's fiancee to check!

She was cute as a button in it. The skirt was short and blue, with a slightly longer white skirt draped across her rump. She also wore blue and black stripes stockings, black opera gloves with white faux cuffs, black shoes with turquoise how's, and a floppy blue hat with a white feather.

"That's just too cute," he said simply.

"I'm sure she still has it," Serafall added blithely. "You should ask her."

"Maybe later," Issei said, temporizing. It was tempting, especially considering how cute Sona got on the rare occasions that she was flustered. But somehow, it seemed like something to put a pin in.

"Think about it later," Serafall insisted, tugging him in the direction of the office. "Come _on_ , Icchan!"

"Yes, Sera-nee," he said, letting out a resigned laugh.

"Maybe we'll get _you_ a character on _Miracle Levia-tan_ later," she added, and chuckled as that made him stumble.

-xxxx-

"Is that what I think it is?" Sona said, eying the long bundle in Shizuku's arms.

"Perhaps," the Kyoto Faction observer said cryptically. She turned her eyes towards Kaori, who was understandably surprised to see the kendo club captain - that is to say, _her_ club captain - present in the Student Council office. "Good afternoon, Murayama. Thank you for joining us."

"Sure," she said carefully, exchanging confused looks with Issei. The latter finished setting the teapot and cups on the table, and sat next to his fiancee. "So, buchou, I assume you're not here about the regional competitions?"

"I'm afraid not," Shizuku answered with gentle sardony. "I'm here in my official capacity as the Kyoto Faction observer. In many ways, Kuoh is a hotbed for supernatural activity. It is also, however, on Japanese soil, which makes it important that the Shinto Faction and its affiliates keep an eye on events here."

"I guess I can see that," the kendoka agreed, her expression still slightly dubious. "I'm still not completely sure what _I'm_ present for, though."

"The Shinto Faction, through its affiliates in Kyoto, is enacting a quiet non-aggression pact with the Devils, specifically the Houses of Sitri and Gremory," Rias explained. She sat on Sona's other side, sipping tea. "Serafall-sama is here representing the Four Maou."

The Leviathan gave the Knight a friendly wave, before assuming the thread of conversation. "One of the provisos of that pact is that we take possession of an artifact that is in… rather bad odor, in both Kyoto and Takamagahara." She spoke of the legendary home of the Shinto gods with utter sincerity, as if it were someplace she'd visited occasionally on business.

"...and this artifact has something to do with me?" Kaori asked. Her eyes were slightly narrowed in wariness.

"It does," Sona said, her tone reassuring. "The artifact itself isn't dangerous, unless used directly against a Devil or Fallen Angel." She glanced meaningfully at Shizuku, who added, "Yes. The sword had had special enchantments laid upon it. Murayama should have no problem wielding it."

"Sword?" Kaori perked up slightly. The demonic sword she'd borrowed from Kiba's Sword Birth worked pretty well, but it wasn't as close to the feel of a katana as she would have preferred, and the Murayama school of kenjutsu didn't adjust as well to Western blades as the Meguri school did.

"Yes. It's a Shinto Holy Sword, Yozoragiri," Shizuku explained, starting to unfurl the bundle.

"I don't think I've heard of that," Issei said. "I'm not all that well versed in mythology, but still…"

"That's because its true name has been forgotten," Shizuku elaborated. "Or been deliberately suppressed. No one who's in a position to know it admits it. It's been informally known as 'Yozoragiri' since Tsukiyomi-dono used it to kill Uke-mochi-dono."

Issei bobbled his cup, nearly dropping it. Kaori looked equally shocked. "I… that actually _exists_? And you want to give that to _me_?!"

"It's been enchanted so it won't harm you to use it, or us, as long as the blade doesn't actually touch us," Serafall assured her. "So-tan, Rias-chan, and I oversaw the preparations ourselves last night."

Rias nodded in agreement. "To be perfectly honest, I would have wanted it to go to Yuuto-kun, but he's not able to handle Holy Swords… and even if he were able to, he has good reason to refuse one. _You_ are, Murayama-san."

"It's a powerful weapon." Shizuku, apparently, had decided to join in the coaxing. "More than that, it gives its wielder command over shadows and the darkness."

"Can someone please explain a little more about Holy Swords?" Issei asked. "The way you guys are talking about them, they sound like WMDs in sword form."

"That's actually a fair approximation," Rias said with a nod of agreement. "More properly, that's the case for 'true' Holy Swords, like the Excalibur or Durandal, or the divine swords of Shinto myth. Like that." She indicated Yozoragiri. "They're the ultimate weapon against Devils and Fallen Angels. And there are corollary Demonic Swords, which are equally deadly against Angels."

Kaori let out a breath, processing what she'd been told. She was aware of Issei's encouraging look, and of Sona's silent awareness of that. Once again, the sensation that the decision had been made, and was just waiting for the rest of her to catch up, flitted through her mind.

Well, no point dawdling about it, then. "Okay," she said aloud, fixing her face into a resolute expression. "What do I need to do?"

Shizuku finished unwrapping the bundle. Inside laid a tsurugi-style sword, its hilt wrapped in midnight-blue silk. The blade rested in a scabbard several shades darker than the hilt wrapping, giving the impression of a deep, starless night. "Go ahead and pick it up. If your will and skill are strong enough, the sword will take on a form better suited for you." She added, "Even if it doesn't, the sword should still accept you."

"Got it." Kaori lifted the sword with both hands, holding it in the middle of the scabbard. She held it for a moment, feeling a little silly, but then she felt it changing in her grasp. The scabbard grew and curved, and the hilt straightened and flattened slightly. After a moment, she was holding a katana, and one slightly longer than the norm. Somehow, in her hands, it felt light as a feather, almost as if crafted and balanced for her hands.

"Whoa, Kaori-san," Issei said softly, in an admiring tone. He didn't notice the surprised looks on Rias or Shizuku's faces, or the faintly satisfied look on Sona's face. Kaori _did_ notice those things, but they were of secondary importance at the moment.

"May I draw?" she asked. Sona started to say yes, but paused as it became clear that her Knight wasn't talking to her.

After a moment, Kaori felt a sensation of assent from the sword. She did her best to radiate a sense of gratitude back at it, stepped back to the unoccupied center of the room, and snap-drew. The blade was a gleaming silver-blue, the color of the full moon in winter, and that gleam wasn't figurative: there was a faint but noticeable glow, as if the blade had been forged from moonlight itself.

"Pretty," Issei said softly.

Sona nodded distractedly, and gave Shizuku a wry look. "Tell me, Yaegashi-san, how many Shinto Holy Swords does that make present in Kuoh?"

"Three," Shizuku said flatly.

"Wait," Issei interjected. "The one you gave kaa-san, this one, and...?"

"And mine," Shizuku finished. "I think everyone would be more comfortable if I refrained from drawing Futsu-no-Mitama, though."

" _Three_ Shinto Holy Swords in Kuoh?!" Rias said sharply. "And why is _this_ the first I'm hearing of it?"

"Because before this week, only mine was available to be used," Shizuku said calmly, sipping her tea. "Ame-no-Ohabari only arrived the night before last, and Yozoragiri was handed over to you for completion of the enchantments this last weekend."

"We understand," Serafall said quickly. "But you'll understand our concerns. That's a not-insubstantial redeployment of Holy weapons. I would hope that our new pact would avoid anything that could be interpreted as an omission or misleading statement going forward."

"You're quite right." Shizuku looked towards Rias and bowed respectfully. "You have my apologies. We'll inform you promptly if something similar needs to happen again."

"Very well." Rias didn't look fully mollified, but she nodded anyway.

Kaori eyed Yozoragiri, respectfully but warily, and carefully resheathed it. Holding it with the greatest of care, she offered Shizuku a deep bow. "Thank you for entrusting me with this. I promise, I'll treat it with care."

"I have no doubt that you will." Shizuku returned the bow.

* * *

"What were you doing meeting with Sona-san?" Kouki asked insistently. The two of them sat around her dining room table, their history homework laid out before them.

"Club business," Shizuku answered coolly, giving him a quizzical look. Ever since the revelation of Sitri-san's engagement, her childhood friend had been… strange. She was fairly certain he wasn't in love with the Student Council president, but he was developing an odd fixation on her relationship with Hyoudou-kun.

It had to be Kaori, she thought. He had been similarly fixated on the way she'd been growing steadily closer to Nagumo-kun, and had been similarly hostile towards him. It was also a known fact that Nagumo-kun and Hyoudou-kun had been friends. It was as if, in Kouki's mind, disrupting Sitri-san's engagement would somehow make up for his inability to keep Kaori and Nagumo-kun apart, and for his inability to halt her disappearance. (Not that it actually _would_ , or, for that matter, that Nagumo-kun had been a bad boyfriend for Kaori. Try telling _that_ to Kouki, thought…)

"Was Hyoudou there?" Kouki pressed, his nostrils flaring. Not for the first time, Shizuku rolled her eyes. Just because she understood his reasoning (such as it was) didn't mean she agreed with it, or would humor it any more than she absolutely had to.

"Of course he was, Kouki-kun," she said sternly. "Drop it. We have actual work to do."

"I don't trust him," he muttered, a mulish expression on his face. Shizuku knew that look too well: it usually presaged him doing something stupid and embarrassing in the name of "the right thing." Which… all right, truth be told, there wasn't a trace of conscious malice in Amanogawa Kouki's body. There was also no trace, however, of self-reflection or ability to see things from another's perspective. How he saw things was how they were, and that was something neither Shizuku nor Kouki's parents had ever been able to shake him free of.

Shizuku let out a long, exasperated sigh. Being his oldest friend could be trying enough. But there were the other reasons she had to keep him close… the reasons that came down the line from Yasaka-dono. Azazel wasn't the only one who had been keeping quiet tabs on people with possible esoteric talents, at least on Japanese soil. And, if Yasaka-dono's guess was right…

...well, Shizuku would continue hoping she wasn't, though.

"Sona-san isn't some helpless waif who needs you to come rescue her, Kouki-kun," she said sternly. "And Hyoudou-kun isn't some tokusatsu monster. Now get your head together. All this stuff will be on the midterms."

Kouki grumbled, clearly not believing her words. He hadn't believed that Kaori was a black belt, either, despite actually being in the judo class with her. He did, however, open his book. Shizuku watched him carefully, then opened her own notebook.

Her eyes snapped to the window at the faint rumble of thunder,

"It's just a storm. It's been raining every day the last couple of weeks." Kouki's tone was oddly petulant about that. And, sadly, it was still the most sensible thing he'd said that afternoon.

"I hope so," she said softly.

* * *

 **Saturday:**

* * *

"So, it sounds like you've made some good progress with your Sacred Gear," Ajuka said pleasantly. He was sharing a booth with Sona and Issei at the local Gusto, and the three of them were picking over an appetizer platter.

"I guess," Issei said. "I'm getting the hang of using it defensively, to disarm opponents. What I _really_ want is a way to weaponize it, though."

Sona nodded in agreement, snagging an onion ring before Issei could. (He retaliated by snapping up the last piece of karaage.) "You'll get there, Issei-kun. Don't push yourself about it."

Ajuka nodded encouragingly. "Indeed. After all, you've only been a Devil for a few weeks. No need to punish yourself for not making Balance Breaker yet."

Issei raised an eyebrow. "Balance Breaker?"

"The fully evolved form of a Sacred Gear," Ajuka explained. "A Sacred Gear in Balance Breaker is an order of magnitude more powerful than its normal form, often unlocking abilities that the normal form can't offer." He smiled slightly. "I'm sure I could cite analogies from several manga."

"Yeah, I think I can see what you mean." Issei wolfed down the karaage, looking oddly thoughtful as he did so. He started to reach for his Coke, then froze, his eyes widening.

Sona cocked her head, looking at him carefully. "Issei-kun?"

He scrunched his eyes shut in concentration, his voice distracted. "I think… something to do with iron. Iron."

"Iron," Sona repeated, her brows knitting. "Something ferrous, then?"

"Yeah," Issei said in a distracted voice. "Ferrous… project - "

His eyes snapped open, and he and Sona stared at each other. Her own eyes already showed recognition. That ridiculous anime he'd shown her, with the schoolgirl and her pocket change -

"Railgun," they blurted out simultaneously.

Ajuka watched the two of them interestedly. It was unusual to see an engaged pair who were so in sync with each other. Aloud, he said, "It's certainly possible."

"The easiest things to experiment with would be nails," Sona said thoughtfully. "Ajuka-sama, would you care to join us on a trip to the hardware store?"

-xxxx-

"I didn't know the Academy _had_ a woodworking club," the old shopkeeper said amiably.

"We're new," Issei told him, feeling sweat trickling down the back of his head. He set the boxes of roofing nails. He closed his eyes for a moment, seeing if he could actually guesstimate how many nails there were in total.

His eyes opened, and he was somehow unsurprised to have an exact number in his head. He said as much to Sona, and she shook her head in wonder.

Ajuka paid, and the three of them stepped outside, Issei carrying the heavy cloth grocery bag. The Maou in charge of technology seemed quite pleased, and Issei told him as much.

"I enjoy watching bright people come up with creative solutions," Ajuka told him. "To be frank, there are too many young high-class Devils who just… coast on their natural abilities. Not to name names."

"Oh, I think I know who you're thinking of," Sona replied sourly.

"You might. At any rate, it's easy to achieve when your abilities have obvious and flashy applications. What you're doing is… the term 'thinking outside the box' is so overused, but it's accurate in this case. Keep doing that, Issei-kun. That's how you'll make your name in Devil society."

"Okay." Issei was slightly red now. "I will."

-xxxx-

The Student Council convened at the abandoned mansion, around that very same brick wall used for combat training. At the last minute, the ORC's president invited herself and her Queen along. The general air was less one of a science experiment, and more one of an impromptu party. Aika's geokinesis, bolstered by Momo and Reya's Bishop talents, had been used to create a shelter again, this one surrounding the "target practice" brick wall and stretching back almost thirty meters.

"You are _definitely_ generating an electromagnetic field," Ajuka said excitedly. He had an electromagnetic field detector in his hand, and a radar gun sitting on the gym bag next to his feet. (The latter device seemed to have been heavily modified.) "It's not a very strong one, but it's present. Try firing projectiles with it!"

"Okay!" Issei gathered up the bundles of roofing nails he and Sona has made earlier. There were around a hundred of them, twist-tied into bundles of six. Something about it seemed fitting, like they were bullets in a revolver's cylinder. He concentrated, just a little, and ten of the bundles were suddenly adhering to each arm. "If this works, I'll need a more comfortable method of carrying ammo than this," he said absently.

"We'll come up with something," Sona assured him. "There are magical storage spells, or devices that duplicate the same."

"That'd be perfect!" Issei enthused, then looked towards the R&D Maou. "Ready?"

Ajuka picked up the radar gun and switched it on. He blinked and narrowed his eyes at what he was seeing on the display, then gave the device a solid smack. When he looked this time, he was far happier. He gave Issei a thumbs up. "Goggles on!" He called out cheerily. Not that they'd do much good if this worked but went terribly wrong, but it might make the healer's job a bit easier...

Issei and the onlookers obediently donned their goggles. He took a deep breath, forming both hands into finger-guns. Another moment of concentration, and one bundle on each arm shook off its ties and began to rotate slowly around each arm's hand, the point facing the same direction as the finger-guns' "barrels." The slow rotation of the nails made them look like the barrels of a Gatling gun.

Once everyone else was clear, Sona flashed Issei a thumbs-up. He snapped his arms downward, leveling his finger guns and miming a firing motion. The clusters of nails snapped forward like tungsten-colored lightning, a staticky whipcrack echoing in the late-night air.

Issei's roofing-nail "bullets" struck the wall with enough force and speed to gouge deep, tightly-grouped holes into its surface, spiderwebbing the immediate surface surrounding the impact points.

Issei clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Dammit. I was hoping for more than that."

"You didn't do _badly_ ," Ajuka pointed out, turning the radar gun's display towards him. "See, you came in close to the standard speed of a military-grade round. This would have done the job against most things."

"Yes," Sona agreed. "He's right, Issei-kun. So are you, though. It's an effective, but not much more so than a human firearm. In most respects, you'd do just as well with a _Rekka-dan_." Her tone left it unmistakable that she wouldn't let him use a human firearm, either. "If you had a stronger electromagnetic field…"

"Wait." The three of them turned to look at Reya, who wore a thoughtful expression. "You said that the Sacred Gear only generates a weak electromagnetic field. But, Ikkun, you're doing okay with electrokinesis. Not as good as your pyrokinesis, but still. Could you use that to, maybe, boost the Sacred Gear's field?"

The Maou, the Rook, and the King froze, staring at Reya wide-eyed. Issei recovered first, turning to Sona. "Could that _work_?"

"It's certainly worth a shot," Sona mused. "At the very least, it wouldn't hurt." She couldn't help a soft chuckle. "The name alone seems to suggest usefulness."

"Yes, I think it could work." Ajuka seemed to have perked back up. "Goggles back on!"

"Might want to kill our electronics, too," Tsubasa suggested. "Until we have a better idea how much this thing'll react with them."

"Good idea," Sona noted, turning off her phone. Around them, the rest of her and Rias's peerages did likewise.

This time, as he "primed" the projectiles, Issei called upon his lightning magic. The golden-white electricity wreathed his forearms, skipping in and out of the visible spectrum. Was it just him, or were the projectiles actually turning faster now…?

"That's much better!" Ajuka called out, grinning at the radar gun's display.

Sona gave the go-ahead again, and he mimed the firing motion again. That staticky whipcrack boomed like a thunderclap this time. In the relative confines of the shelter, it momentarily jarred everyone present. And this time, Issei's clusters of "railgun" projectiles punched two holes _completely through_ the wall. They were the size of large dinner plates, overlapped into a large sideways 8, and stress fractures spiderwebbed throughout the wall's entire structure.

Everyone present stared. Reya found her voice first, and her tone was chipper. "See? Electrokinesis."

"No kidding," Issei said in amazement. "Reya-san, you're a _genius_."

Reya pinked cutely. "Just pointing you in the right direction. You were halfway there already."

"Indeed. The electrokinesis did the trick," Ajuka agreed. "And, Issei-kun, you'll be interested to know that, with it, your projectiles cleared the hypersonic threshold."

Another thoughtful silence descended. Sona broke it first, this time. " _Very_ well done, Issei-kun. And you, Reya. Let's keep working at it, and then we'll see about dinner, and break for the night."

"You're full of surprises, Hyoudou-kun," Rias said admiringly. "Bearing a Neo-Longinus is one thing, but improvising a technique like this is remarkable."

"Issei-kun is a man of many talents," Sona agreed coolly. There was just a hint of casual possessiveness in her voice, and Issei beamed as he heard it.

-xxxx-

"This is turning into a real party, huh?" Kaori remarked to Aika. "So much for training. Someone should have at least brought pizza."

"Don't bring it up, unless you want to be the one paying for it," Aika advised. Rio watched the two of them, and how their eyes kept darting to Issei. She smiled to herself. If nothing else, it looked like her son was surrounding himself with good friends. And somehow, she had a feeling it wouldn't stay at "nothing else."

"Oh, we'll be making Chinese-style hot pot out here," she said aloud. She waved a hand, indicating the large cloth grocery bags and folding table she'd had Gorou cart out to the mansion. "I'm used to making dragon-sized portions."

"Ikkun mentioned that you taught him to cook shabu-shabu," Aika mused, cocking her head in thought.

"Yes, I did," Rio answered. "Both Gorou-kun and 'Ikkun' have always had large appetites." She gave Aika a good-natured smirk as she repeated the nickname. (Much later, Kaori would mention that she'd never actually _seen_ the other girl blush before that very moment.) "Give me a hand with unpacking these, would you? You'll get first dibs in exchange."

"Deal," both girls said, clearly in a hurry to move things along. Kaori quickly unfolded the table, and started to empty the bags.

"How're we getting along here?" Gorou asked, coming up behind Rio and resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Just fine." Rio said this with a sly smile that made both Devils eye her with polite wariness.

Issei and Sona approached, hand in hand, followed by Ajuka, Rias, and the rest of Sona's peerage. The former looked slightly winded, but very pleased with himself. None of the nail packets that he'd put together earlier were anywhere to be seen, indicating that he'd expended them all in testing. Sona looked pretty pleased as well, and Rio had a feeling that they'd be discussing it more even after they returned home. She'd always known her son was smart, but the way he'd thrived since encountering the supernatural world spoke as to his true potential. "Good job, Issei. It's a very clever attack. At this rate, you won't even need to get close to your opponents now."

"Smart boy," Gorou agreed. "A dragon should never be afraid to get up close and personal… but you should never be dumb enough to do it unless absolutely necessary."

The Rook rubbed the back of his neck, his face turning slightly red. "Heh, thanks. Still gotta work on refining this, though."

"The important thing is that you've demonstrated the concept's viability," Sona told him. "It'll just take practice to smooth off the rough edges." She gave him a knowing smile. "I assume you have a name in mind for this attack already.

"Railgun," Issei admitted. "What else?"

"'Gauss Dragon' has a nice ring to it," Aika interjected as she helped unpack the food.

"It does, but I'd rather save that for something bigger," Issei replied.

"How much bigger do you expect?" Kaori asked curiously.

"Well, if I could manage to do this in dragon form…" Issei mused.

"Sacred Gears respond readily to their bearer's will and desire," Sona told him. "It's entirely possible that you can find some way to do that."

"Maybe…" Issei trailed off, starting to slide into silent thought. Tsubasa chose that moment to slap him on the back, congratulating him on being a "gunslinger Rook." That set him off chattering, and before long the entire earthen shelter was full of cheerful chatter, as many hands made light work of the meal prep.

In the end, it was the most successful dinner party Rio had hosted in a long time.

* * *

Another week passed, and did so with surprising quiet. Kaori worked hard at acclimating to Yozoragiri and its qualities, while Issei worked on refining Railgun. Sona's peerage, as a whole, worked at honing their teamwork and coordination, and Asia became even more socially entrenched in and beloved by Kuoh's student body. All in all, it was a remarkably peaceful stretch of time, and Sona began to tentatively hope that it would last a while.

When things went south that Saturday, she wanted to kick herself. It would figure, she thought ruefully, that it had happened on the first semi-clear day in almost two weeks.

* * *

"Asia-san, why don't you join the track team?" Amanogawa Kouki asked. The two of them were standing in one of the covered walkways, where he'd stopped her on her way to the Student Council office. A half-day, as every other Saturday was, the student body was already streaming towards the school gates, eager to make use of a non-rainy afternoon.

"Um, thank you, Amanogawa-sempai, but I don't really have an interest in the track team," Asia said hesitantly. She wasn't sure why he'd made a point of pigeonholing her after the last bell, but here they were anyway. Issei-san had told her a few things about this sempai… well, it was more that he had complained loudly about him, and Sona-san had agreed with him.

"I really think you should consider it," Amanogawa said, smiling brightly. It was clear he meant it as a friendly gesture, but it came across as patronizing. It was like many of the senior priests in the Church had been: the good intentions were there, but they were so wrapped up in condescension and self-satisfaction. "I'm the team captain, and I can tell you we have a good group of people. It'll be good for you to make a wider circle of friends."

"Thank you, but right now I think I'm happy with the friends I've made through Issei-san," Asia replied. She winced inwardly as she saw the sempai's face cloud over.

"Hyoudou…" Amanogawa spoke the surname as if it were distasteful, and shook his head disapprovingly. "I don't trust him, Asia-san, and neither should you. He's a bad influence. You really shouldn't be living with him."

"He's always been perfectly well-behaved around me," Asia replied, her expression innocent. She might have been unworldly, but that did not equate to stupid; it was impossible to grow up in Church service without learning to conceal one's true feelings behind a smile. "And I've seen him and Sona-san together. They definitely seem to be in love." There was the faintest note of reproach in her voice as she said the last part. The fact was evident to anyone who would look… which, she had to admit, seemed to be a minority at the school.

Amanogawa shook his head again, and the patronizing nature of it was even stronger this time. Clearly, he didn't care to look, or was convinced already saw what needed to be seen. "You and Sona-san are both too kind with him. He'll only take advantage of it."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about _that_ any longer," a sneering male voice said before Asia could retort. Both she and Amanogawa turned to stare at the conversation's unexpected third party. He was a rangy, athletic man dressed in the clothes of a Church Exorcist, and a rather worn-looking set at that. His greyish-white hair was in an uneven bowl cut, and his face was set in a sneer, one that matched the smug look in his cerise eyes.

Also, there was the small fact of the gun he had clutched in one hand. It was a long, chunky semiautomatic, straddling the line between "pistol" and "sawed-off shotgun" in size. Despite its length and bulk, he handled it as easily as if it were a toy. He had what looked like a massive sword in an equally massive scabbard, but that didn't seem the important thing at present.

"How did you get onto the campus?" Amanogawa blurted out. It was a stupid question, but Asia couldn't help wondering the same thing.

"Don't worry, no one died." The man in Exorcist robes chuckled. "If you cooperate, it'll stay that way. Understand?" He brandished the handgun meaningfully.

"Hey, guns are illegal!" Amanogawa blurted out, and then folded nearly in half as the Exorcist (or was he? Asia had heard stories about Exorcists being driven out of the Church for… well, exactly _why_ tended to be hushed up) drove the weapon's muzzle into his gut. He sank to his knees, groaning in pain.

"You don't say," the man said, that sneer still in his voice. "Come on, Asia, it's time to come with me."

Something clicked in Asia's memory. The look Raynare had given her, the mention of a "price" to be paid -

"You're the one who was supposed to meet us in Latvia," she said hesitantly.

"Very good, Asia," he said with a mocking bow. "It's time to come with me now."

"I refuse," she said flatly. "I'm staying in Kuoh."

"Bold of you to assume you have a choice," he said, tone thoughtful. Next thing Asia knew, she was on the ground, gingerly touching her cheek. The barrel of the gun hadn't been swung with - quite - enough force to break anything, but it surely hurt like the Devil.

The odd thought occurred to her that most of the Devils she'd met over the last month had been far kinder towards her than most people associated with the Church. She wondered what the Lord would have said to that.

"Now, be a good girl," the man said, as if he'd done nothing more than waggle a finger sternly at her. He reached down, yanking her to her feet.  
"S-stop…" Both of them turned in surprise to see Amanogawa pushing to his feet, groaning in pain. "L-leave Asia-san alone…" He took a swing at Sellzen, who sidestepped it with a smirk. He then whirled around, yelling as he took another swing. This time, the punch had far greater power behind it, and for a moment, what looked like a red armored glove seemed to spark into existence around the fist, just long enough for spiked metal to drive into Sellzen's gut.

It was the rogue Exorcist's turn to double over, coughing up blood. Still, he was too experienced a combatant to go down so easily, and his pistol whipped up and around. Amanogawa went down again, his nose shattered this time. The gauntlet that had briefly appeared around his hand vanished, gone back to wherever it had manifested from.

"Aren't _you_ interesting," the Exorcist mused as he straightened back up, little the worse for wear. "Another Sacred Gear user. Maybe he's our ticket out of this town." He smirked at Asia. "The two of your are coming with me. Fix his nose and your cheek, now."

"I don't want to come with you," Asia insisted, and despite the tears rolling down her cheeks, her eyes were firm.

"Again, I'm not giving you a choice. But, if you need an incentive - " The pistol's barrel swung back towards Amanogawa, and she heard a faint _click_. "Fix yourselves and come with me, or I'll kill him. And anyone else who approaches."

Asia sighed and knelt next to Amanogawa. Two identical silver rings, each one bearing a blue-green gemstone, appeared on her hands. She took a deep breath, and her hands began glowing a soft green. She held one hand to her left cheek, and the other to Amanogawa's broken nose. At once, the ache subsided from her face, and she could see the pain leave her sempai's eyes as the healing magic took hold. "Asia… san?" he said confusedly.

"It's all right," she said in the most reassuring tone she could muster.

"Don't worry," he said with a pseudo-drunken earnestness. "I'll protect you."

"I'm sure." Again, Asia was sure he meant well, but she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

"This is all something… nngh… to do with Hyoudou, isn't it?" Amanogawa added, the judgmental expression from earlier returning to his face. Now that he was healed, his assumption that he was in control of the situation reasserted itself, despite the evidence to the contrary. "I told you he's trouble, Asia-san."

This time, Asia _did_ roll her eyes. "No, sempai," she said with a sigh as she finished healing him. "This has to do with _my_ past."

* * *

The first that Sona realized something was wrong was when Asia didn't appear after school. She had made a habit of hanging out during Student Council meetings ever since it was established that she was supernaturally aware, and her cheery presence tended to be a balm for her peerage. Certainly Issei was starting to get agitated, the longer she was absent. He had fallen into the older-brother role almost too easily.

He had just pulled out his phone to text her when the door opened. _That_ was unusual, to happen without a knock, unless it was Rias or a member of her peerage.

Shizuku stepped through, looking quizzical. "Sorry to bother you. I was wondering if you'd seen Kouki-kun."

"Why would _we_ have seen him?" Issei asked in bemusement.

"He told me he was going to convince Asia-san to join the track team," the kendo club captain explained. "And I know she generally hangs out with you after school."

"We haven't seen either of them," Sona said slowly, sitting up in her chair. She exchanged looks with Issei; that same agitation he was clearly feeling was now nagging at her.

Tsubasa burst into the room, followed closely by Momo and Ruruko. The Bishop was holding out her phone. "We've got trouble," she said. "Some maniac with a sword is loose downtown."

Sona, Issei, and Shizuku exchanged looks. It was, of course, entirely possible that Amanogawa and Asia's absences had nothing to do with a sword-wielding maniac.

Not that they believed that for a moment.

Sona looked at the phone, which had a video playing on the local news station's website. It was clearly from a store or restaurant's external security camera, and showed a wild-eyed man in ragged-looking Exorcist's clothing, wielding a large, exotic looking sword that had a disturbingly wet and reddish glint along its cutting edge. She winced as she saw the local uniformed cops try to order him to surrender. He acted before she could feel more than a momentary spike of distressed sympathy, and their bodies hit the pavement, already bleeding out. The sneer never left his lips, and the fact that it was a video-only clip just emphasized the intensity of the scene.

The clip ground to an abrupt halt as the apparent Exorcist put a round through the camera's lens. It lasted long enough, though, for them to see behind a pair of teenagers huddled behind the murderer, looking bruised and miserable but mostly intact.

"Asia-chan," Issei whispered, at the same time that Shizuku said Amanogawa's first name in a dismayed tone.

Sona sighed. This was a mess. She summoned a communications circle. "Rias? Something's happened. Can you come over?"

"I think I know." Rias sounded grim. "I'm on my way."

xxxx

"Who the hell is Sellzen?"

Sona turned her laptop so the others could see the photo. He was a rangy man of indeterminate age, with white-silver hair in a jagged bowl cut and cerise eyes, and an expression that was not even within shouting distance of sane. "This is him. Freed Sellzen is a rogue exorcist, formerly employed by the Vatican. And, more recently, formerly employed by Grigori."

"That's not what I can a reassuring resume," Tsubasa commented sourly.

"It's not supposed to be. As a person, he's revolting. Psychopath, rapist, serial killer."

"Must have fit right in at the Vatican."

Sona gave the Pawn an unusually sharp look. "That's not funny, Aika."

"Sorry, sorry." Aika seemed genuinely contrite.

" _Anyway_. My point is that, for all his personality flaws, he's a frighteningly capable combatant. He specializes in close combat, particularly with swords, but he's also a good marksman. As much as I hate to admit it, he's more than a match for any single newly-reincarnated Devil. I don't want anyone traveling alone. We move in pairs, at least. More if possible."

"So he came here for Asia?" Issei looked murderous, and Kaori didn't look much calmer. Sona could hardly blame them. Asia was a very easy girl to like, and Sona had grown used to the idea of having her as an unofficial sister-in-law.

"That's what the report says," Sona explained, her tone almost too calm. "Grigori was very forthcoming when onee-sama contacted them. Raynare may still refuse to crack, but one of her associates was more… reasonable." She decided it was better not to reflect on what Grigori might consider proper procedure to persuade someone to reasonability. "Raynare was apparently dangling her in front of him as a combined tame medic/sex slave."

" _Bitch_." Several members of Sona's peerage looked askance at Issei, surprised by the sheer vitriol he packed into the single obscenity. Kaori, Aika, and Reya did not. After all, they'd also had firsthand dealings with the Fallen Angel in question.

"I couldn't agree more." Sona's tone was softer, but her expression wasn't. Raynare wasn't going to earn her forgiveness anytime soon. This new wrinkle only made it easier to hate her.

Tsubaki cleared her throat. "So Sellzen is officially disavowed, then."

"Yes. Both Grigori and the Vatican have declared him persona non grata, and the Orthodox and other churches won't touch him. And Shizuku-san has passed on Kyoto's judgment regarding him. In Yasaka-sama's words, 'he's all yours.' He's as legal a target as they get."

A soft, approving sound arose from the assembled Devils. They were neither bloodthirsty nor sadistic, as a matter of course. But there was a certain satisfaction in the thought of Freed Sellzen meeting a violent death.

Sona reflected that she should probably try and rein her peerage's collective urges in. But, truth be told, she shared it. Some people most benefited the world by absenting themselves from it. Freed Sellzen was one such person.

"How are we going to locate them?" Tsubaki asked.

"I'll take care of that," Rias said, producing a communications circle. "Gasper? It's buchou. This is a top-priority assignment, so you can let any other contracts you currently have lapse."

"Yes, buchou," a youthful, androgynous-sounding voice replied.

"We need access to all the CCTV cameras in the metropolitan area," Rias explained. "You told me you already have back doors installed."

"Yes, buchou, but I haven't tested all of them," the voice said in a temporizing tone.

"This will test them," Rias assured him. "You're going to be looking for these three people…" She pulled out her phone, sending "Gasper" photos of Asia, Amanogawa, and Sellzen.

"She has a hacker on payroll?" Issei whispered excitedly to Sona.

"Of sorts. He's her Bishop. I don't think he's quite as gifted a programmer as you, though," Sona replied in a similar tone. "Perhaps she can arrange a meeting after this is over."

"Probably good for us to compare notes," Issei said with a nod. He then shook his head hard, chagrined at letting himself get distracted.

"I have matches," Gasper replied promptly. "The most recent ones are timestamped fifteen minutes ago on the southeastern side of Kuoh. He seems to be headed for the town's outskirts, in the direction of the abandoned mansion." The Bishop rattled off latitude/longitude numbers while Issei and Sona pulled up a map of the Kuoh metropolitan area. "From the camera footage, Asia-san and Amanogawa-san looked basically all right, but bloodied."

Issei growled softly, and Sona squeezed his arm. "Concentrate," she told him softly, marking the aforementioned area on the interactive map. After a moment, she said thoughtfully, "Are they on foot or in a vehicle?"

"All the footage I'm seeing shows them on foot," Gasper answered after a moment.

"Hmm." Sona studied the map, then traced a roughly circular area around the last confirmed sighting. The total area had a roughly twenty-block diameter. "Rias, I'm making a formal request of the Devil governor of Kuoh, to treat this area as enemy territory for purposes of Promotion."

"Granted," Rias said promptly.

Sona inclined her head in respectful thanks, then turned towards her peerage. "We're deploying now. Reya, you're with me. We'll start here." She indicated the center of the zone. "Tsubaki, take Momo and Aika. If you have a chance, Aika, you may Promote. The three of you will start here." She indicated the uppermost "corner" of the delineated area. "Tomoe, Tsubasa, I want you two starting here." Left corner of the area. "Saji-kun, Ruruko, start here. You have my permission to Promote if the opportunity presents itself." Right corner. "Finally, Issei-kun, Kaori, I'd like you two to start here." Bottom corner.

Her servants nodded, and she gave them an approving nod in return. Her eyes locked with Issei's for a moment, and she saw mirrored in them the determination, and worry, and care that she felt. She couldn't feel prouder of him, or of the rest of her peerage. "Move out."

* * *

"I _warned_ you, Sellzen," Faax said tersely over the communications circle. "You made the decision to go after Argento."

"Shut up," Sellzen said irritatedly. "I need your help anyway."

"And I _told_ you, our hands are tied!" Faax shot back.

"I'll make it worth your while," the rogue Exorcist offered with a smirk. "I also grabbed one of her friends. He's a Sacred Gear bearer. You could always use one of those, right?"

"...what's he got?" Faax said warily.

"Looked like a Twice Critical. He only had it for a few seconds."

"Mmph." Faax didn't sound particularly impressed, but there was something else there now. They'd been… not friends, their personalities weren't the kind that allowed for an emotional bond. Cordial acquaintances, though… yes. They'd been cordial acquaintances for some time. So Sellzen could tell when the Fallen Angel's interest was piqued.

Finally, Faax sighed. "I suppose we could use another Twice Critical. There's an abandoned mansion several kilometers outside Kuoh. Get there and hole up, and I'll see what I can do."

"Good, I knew you could do it," Sellzen sneered, his tone approving (for him, anyway.) The communications circle winked out of existence, and he turned his attention back to his captives. Things might be… slightly more complicated than he had expected, but he still had control of the situation.

"Keep moving," he said shortly, sneering. "It'll all be over soon."

* * *

"First semi-clear day in almost two weeks, and _this_ happens," Issei said in a mildly-complaining tone. The two of them had teleported to the "bottom corner" of the grid, and were getting their bearings.

"The timing _does_ suck," Kaori agreed. "Bet this weather is the only reason Sellzen didn't act earlier." She gave Issei a sideways look, her eyes concerned. "How're your pyrokinesis going to hold up in this weather?" She waved a hand to indicate the dreary damp; even if there was no rain, the mist was almost thick enough to cut with a Holy Sword.

"Kaa-san said it should still work," he answered, his expression solemn now. "She said it might be weaker, but it should still pack a punch. I just wish I'd brought more ammo to school with me today…" He gave her a sideways look of his own, just as much concern in his eyes, and nodded at Yozoragiri. "You ready to go with that?"

"This so," the Knight told her friend. "I think I figured out a trick from what buchou told us." She glanced at Issei again. "So… try and smell her, I suppose."

"I guess so," Issei agreed. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on Asia's scent. The faint sweetness of breakfast cereal… wait. He reached out a hand tentatively, starting to point to the left-hand side of the street. He was still getting that scent of cereal, but also notes of strong coffee… that must be Amanogawa-sempai. There was a third scent mixed in, heavy and coppery with a strong whiff of smokiness… it took him a moment to realize he was probably picking up Sellzen, too. That scent felt like blood and gunsmoke.

"This way, I think," he said carefully.

In the end, it only took a few minutes to catch up. Sellzen seemed less than surprised. "Well, well," he drawled, "look who we have here." He looked at the sword almost lovingly, and Issei wondered queasily if he was going to lick the blade. "A couple of shitty Devils."

"Issei-san!" Asia cried out.

"Let them go," Issei growled.

Sellzen laughed. In front of him were Asia and Amanogawa, both of them dirty-faced and in torn clothes, but otherwise intact. "Sure, you can have the jock. He's too dumb to know when water's wet… although you might find him useful for other things." One of his hands slid behind Asia, and her sudden blush and miserable look suggested what he might be doing to her. "But Asia's mine."

Issei froze, his expression livid. All at once, his entire body was suffused in the azure flame of his mother's family.

"You're a pyrokinetic, too," Sellzen said, cocking his head and sounding interested.

"Leave them alone," Kaori snarled, loosening Yozoragiri in its scabbard. The level, focused look on her face, coupled with the tautness in her body language as she tensed to draw, touched a chord in Issei. For a moment, he could actually taste that notional snickerdoodle, and he had to shake his head hard to get it back in the game. "Maybe we'll let you walk if you give us your surrender right now."

"Maybe you can beat it out of me," Sellzen said in a mock-thoughtful tone, and all of a sudden he was lunging at Kaori. That jagged-looking sword of his was snapping around in a tight arc at an impossible speed, aimed right at her jugular -

\- and it _spang_ ed off of enchanted steel. Kaori had made the most of her Knight's speed, to get her Holy Sword drawn and in a position to parry Sellzen's weapon. Still, it was clear that even a Knight's reflexes were struggling to keep pace with the rogue Exorcist; Yozoragiri had met his blade at a very awkward angle for Kaori to sustain, and Sellzen knew it. His sneer said it all.

Just as he was worried sick about Asia, concern for Kaori boiled up in Issei. It was worry for a friend and comrade, he told himself, and pretended that didn't sound whisper-thin, even to his own ears.

He hurled himself at Sellzen from behind, bodychecking the other man away from his friend. Even as Sellzen sneered and spun to face him, Issei unleashed a flurry of punches into his torso, each one wreathed in azure fire. Coupled with a Rook's physical might, this was enough to send him flying. He didn't take it lying down, though; somehow, he produced a massive pistol from nowhere and opened fire. Whatever kind of bullets it fired weren't normal; they glowed platinum and the ones that grazed Issei left a very unpleasant tingle that probably wasn't just a matter of being grazed with a bullet.

"Holy rounds, you shitty Devils!" Sellzen crowed. "You and your little bitch chew on those!" He let another volley fly before turning and sprinting, presumably back towards wherever he had Asia and Amanogawa stashed. There was a series of ricocheting sounds behind him as Kaori desperately tried to parry the fusillade. As Issei turned to follow Sellzen, he heard his friend cry out in pain, and for a moment his heart went cold in his side.

As he turned, he saw Kaori on her knees, clutching her side, blood trickling between her fingers. Her other hand had a death-grip on Yozoragiri's hilt, and she was gritting her teeth. She was ashen-featured, but her eyes were steady as she looked at him. "I'll catch up," she gritted out. "I'll call Momo-san or Reya-san… Keep after him!"

"Stay alive," he told her tersely. It felt very important that she hear that from him. "I want you to stay alive." He reluctantly whirled around again, bolting after Sellzen.

"You do the same," she said softly, but he was already out of earshot.

The rogue Exorcist hadn't gotten too far ahead, maybe a few blocks. He really couldn't, not with Asia and Amanogawa in tow. In the residential area they were in, low concrete walls surrounded them, minimizing mobility for both of them. He also must have heard Issei's footsteps, because he whirled and opened fire. The only really helpful thing he did was shove Asia and Amanogawa behind him, as much to keep his fields of fire clear as to keep them alive.

Issei managed to dodge most of the bullets, but one grazed his shoulder, leaving another agonizing welt. _Enough of that shit,_ he thought, narrowing his eyes and reaching out a hand, yanking. The semiautomatic jerked in Sellzen's grip, and he stared at it in genuine shock. That loosened his grip _just_ enough for the gun to be pulled free, and Issei sent it spinning off into the darkness somewhere.

"Telekinesis?" Sellzen wondered aloud in genuine surprise. "I didn't know you shitty Devils were capable… well, maybe my friends will take you apart and find out what's up. Maybe starting with that little cutie with the Holy Sword." He licked his lips. "I'd love to hear what she sounds like when she screams in - "

Issei didn't let him finish. Snarling, he let fly with a double _Rekka-dan_ , and then another, and then another. At less than fifteen meters, the double explosion sent Sellzen tumbling ass over teakettle, slamming bodily into a concrete wall.

"Move your asses!" he shouted at Asia and Amanogawa.

"Don't tell us - " Amanogawa started to protest, but Asia clapped a hand over his mouth, and started trying to push him out of the way.

Sellzen slumped to the ground, but looked up with a death's-head grin. Despite the impact crater he left in the wall, he moved as if he were only bruised. "Not bad, you shitty Devil," he sneered. "Not bad at all. But not good enough, either!" He hefted the jagged-looking sword he held, and suddenly he was in Issei's face, bringing the sword up into Issei's gut.

The Rook began whirling away, but he didn't escape unscathed: Sellzen's blade left a nasty lengthwise gash in his torso, and the sword's Holy aspect made the pain worse than anything Issei had ever experienced. Screaming wordlessly, he swayed on his feet, fighting to stay upright.

"Issei-san!" Asia cried out in dismay.

"Hyoudou!" Amanogawa seemed torn between concern, and his still-strong distrust towards Issei. He turned towards Asia, and with clear reluctance, asked, "Asia-san, can you… help him like you helped me…?"

"Don't you two go anywhere yet," Sellzen said lazily. He lashed out with a snap-kick directly against Issei's wound, and the Rook screamed again, falling to his knees. "G-get outta here!" he gritted out, making a sharp motion towards his schoolmates.

"I'll give you points for courage," the rogue Exorcist mused. "But that won't save a shitty Devil." He raised his sword.

"F-fuck you!" Issei managed to snarl, shaping one hand into a finger-gun and firing a single _Rekka-dan_. The blast didn't hit Sellzen dead-on, but the explosive area-effect did slam him against the wall again. This time, Asia and Amanogawa didn't hesitate, dashing forward and huddling around the wounded Rook.

Issei reached out for Sellzen's sword, trying desperately to yank it free of his hands. The Exorcist gritted his teeth, digging in his heels. The sword jarred and danced in his grip, but Sellzen managed to keep his hands on it. "That all you got?" he managed to sneer, but the sweat starting to bead his forehead showed the effort he was putting in.

"Issei-kun!" Both he and Sellzen turned just in time to see a massive dragon composed entirely of boiling water slam into the rogue Exorcist. Sellzen screeched as the magical construct immersed him in superheated H2O, writhing and twitching before sinking to his knees, barely managing to keep hold of his sword. As he did, the temperature immediately reversed itself and fell through the floor, and the dragon froze, trapping Sellzen within.

Sona came into view, her face tight with anger and worry. A magical circle hovered before her as she strode over to Issei. As she moved, she made a sharp motion to Reya, who came trotting up with a healing spell already primed. Asia had already scrambled to Issei's side, though, and had Twilight Healing manifested. The two girls exchanged slightly miffed looks, then cast their healing magic simultaneously.

"I thought I told you not to run solo!" Sona chided him while Reya began healing him.

"Sorry, Sona-san," Issei gasped, trying to grit his teeth against the pain. "Bastard incapacitated Kaori, and I had to keep track of him. She needs looking at too…"

"Momo is taking care of her. Right now I want you to keep your head in the game." Sona's voice was quietly angry, but only an idiot would miss the worry and concern behind the anger. The King keeping her Rook on the proper amount of leash, and the woman wanting her lover to stay safe, were as one in this moment. "And you can bet you'll be hearing about this from Tsubasa later, too."

"And me, Ikkun," Reya said, and if her tone was softer, that same worry and concern was at the back of it. "Now hold still. Holy-aspected wounds are _nasty_ for Devils." Her hands glowed a bright greenish-white, and the pain started ebbing.

"And me." Asia's face was twisted into a pout whose cuteness robbed it of any actual effectiveness. "You're too reckless, Issei-san." Between Twilight Healing and Reya's Bishop talents, the wound was set right very quickly. The scarring from it, however, was surprisingly resistant.

"Look out!" Amanogawa's cry drew their attention to the sound of ice cracking. They turned and stared as Sellzen forced himself to his feet within the frozen dragon, and began hacking his way free from it. One particularly heavy chunk went flying towards Asia; Amanogawa threw himself into its path to protect her, for some reason thrusting a fist into the air as he did. For a moment, a red armored gauntlet flared into existence around the fist, and it shattered the chunk of ice like a cheap glass. Sadly, one of the larger fragments caromed hard off his forehead, putting his lights out. He dropped to the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut, the gauntlet vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

"What the hell was that around his hand?" Issei shouted.

"That happened before," Asia said, shaking her head. She dropped to one knee beside Amanogawa, shifting Twilight Healing's power from Issei to him. "He'll be fine."

"Sempai has a hard head," Reya added sardonically. "Asia-chan, you'd better get him."

"He's too heavy for me," the former nun pointed out diffidently. She started trying to lift him up anyway.

Reya tsked softly, pausing in her healing of Issei's wound. What was left was pretty much cosmetic anyway. She cast another magical circle, and a purplish-white light suffused Asia. "That's a strength-enhancement spell," she said hurriedly. "It should last long enough to get us to safety."

"Understood!" Asia said. She continued lifting Amanogawa, apparently finding him to be much more manageable now, and slung him over one shoulder like a sack of flour.

"No bridal carry for him?" Reya managed to joke.

Asia just made a disgusted sound. It was hard to blame her for not being in the mood for mid-battle banter, particularly after the afternoon she'd had.

A communications circle appeared next to Sona's head, and the magical circle before her multiplied into a dozen. "Tsubaki, I need you! Get the rest of the peerage to this location, immediately!"

"Yes, kaichou," Tsubaki's level voice replied. "Rias-sempai is en route as well. Estimating ninety seconds for our arrival, and three minutes for hers." She paused, then added wryly, "Tsubasa is asking me to pass on to Hyoudou-kun that she's 'gonna give him a piece of her mind.'"

"Of course she is," Issei sighed. He looked down at the unconscious Amanogawa and sighed. "The really annoying part is that this is you _trying_ to be helpful…"

"Not bad, bitches!" Sellzen crowed. "Pretty good, in fact! I may keep you alive for a little while, Little Miss Four-Eyes!"

A pair of blue-white explosions slammed him back into the wall again, the crater nearly piercing the wall this time. Issei had both hands outstretched before him and shaped into finger-guns, blue-white flames dancing around them. "You're not touching my wife," he snarled.

" _Do_ try not to get too far ahead of us this time, Ikkun," Reya said in a tone of good-natured sardony. She summoned a half-dozen magical circles, each one wreathed in lightning.

"Indeed," Sona agreed, smirking. "Please cover me, anata." The dozen magical circles before her began to bubble over with water, and vicious-looking aquakinetic serpents poked their heads through, bearing their fangs. Like their predecessor, they were fashioned from boiling water, and were clearly poised to spring forward like spears.

"You got it, Sona-chan," Issei agreed. Like her, he used his private endearment for her automatically. (Reya just smiled in fond bemusement and concentrated on the healing.) He leveled his finger-guns again, starting a mental countdown.

The smoke from the _Rekka-dan_ cleared, and Sellzen came surging out of it like a thunderbolt. Sona launched her water-serpents, eyes narrowed as she mentally commanded them to "home in" on the rogue Exorcist. Somehow, though, he was just a hair too quick for them, and the friction in the air from his passage actually dissipated half of them as he dodged from side to side.

"Bastard!" Issei roared, opening fire again. His _Rekka-dan_ didn't have that homing ability, at least not yet, but he was good and pissed, and will and desire were the bread and butter for a Devil's magic. He began trying to lead his target, guesstimating where Sellzen was going to land, and finally scored with a double _Rekka-dan_ that sent him flying headfirst into the wall.

… or, at least, it _should_ have. Instead, at the last moment, he slammed his sword ahead of him into the concrete to arrest his motion. He then used it to swing himself back up and around, yanking it free and using the wall as a springboard. Only the facts that Reya hurriedly reshaped half of her magical circles into shields, and Sona hastily redirected her remaining serpents to superimpose themselves as additional blockades, kept Issei from being impaled.

"It's that damned _sword_ ," Issei growled, backpedalling. "I don't know _how_ , but it's making him fast. Even faster than Kaori, or Basa-chan when she's using Momentum Pillage." He shifted the unconscious Amanogawa again, trying to find a more comfortable grip. No dice.

Sellzen laughed, the sneering sound somehow like broken glass scraped down a chalkboard. "Don't you shitty Devils know anything about the Excaliburs?" He held up the jagged-edged sword as if it were a first-place trophy. "This is Excalibur Rapidly. With this sword, I'm the fastest fucking swordsman in the world!"

"So it's one of the Excaliburs," Sona breathed, eying the sword as if it were a particularly poisonous snake. "Be very careful."

"Let me guess, it's the most powerful Holy Sword?" Issei asked, trying to stoke his flames.

"Only Durandal and Caliburn are more so," Sona answered in all seriousness. "Contact Yaegashi-san. Rio-san, too, if we can. We'll need to fight fire with fire - "

She gritted her teeth as Sellzen threw himself forward again, pouring her power into reinforcing Reya's shields. "Keep moving!" They backpedaled quickly, Sellzen cackling as he pressed the attack. Reya's shield held, and Issei kept firing, but the rogue Exorcist kept moving too fast to get a decisive shot in.

-xxxx-

As they fell back, Reya formed communications circles, struggling to do that, move, and keep the shield manifested simultaneously. Sweat beaded her forehead from the effort. Shizuku's voice was the first to answer, and her tone was brisk, as if she was already moving. "Kusaka-san?"

"Hi, sempai," Reya answered breathlessly. "We need help with Sellzen. Please bring your Holy Sword."

"Understood." Reya could all but see the sharp nod that Shizuku's tone implied. "I'm already on the move. Keep this channel open, so I can home in on you."

"Done," Reya replied, just as Ikkun's mom piped up. "Reya-san?"

"Rio-san, we really need help." Reya winced as Sellzen scored a near-miss on Ikkun. The Rook hissed in pain again, and the Bishop had to squelch the urge to drop everything and focus on healing him. And, being Hyoudou Issei, despite having suffered another Holy-aspected wound, he shifted himself around again to give her, Sona, and Asia maximum coverage. It was both endearing and exasperating. So much for her having to worry _less_ now that he was a Rook.

"Reya-san? What do you need help with?" Rio's voice was slightly perturbed now.

Reya shook her head. "Sorry. We need help - it's a rogue Exorcist, he's taken Asia-chan and another student hostage, and he's attacking me, kaichou, and Ikkun with a Holy Sword!"

Rio inhaled sharply. "I'm on my way."

"Thank you - " Reya narrowed her eyes as another sword strike grazed Issei _again_ , and summoned another half-dozen magical circles. Lightning bolts spat from them, not unlike a magical Gatling gun, all of them aimed at Sellzen's center of mass. This time he was a hair too slow on the trigger, and he actually took the hits, snarling in angry pain as he did so. Somehow, he managed to stay on his feet despite his body crackling with multiple electrical discharges.

"Promotion: Queen! Absorption Line!" Saji's voice called out. Reya blinked. How did a minute and a half take so _long_?! It had felt like they'd been fighting Sellzen for _hours_! With a sigh of relief, she saw the glowing tendrils from Saji's Sacred Gear snake outward and attach themselves to Sellzen… and to Kaori and Tsubasa. The Knight was now back at full health, and looked at the rogue Exorcist with icy fury. The Rook smirked cruelly, cracking her knuckles.

Reya couldn't help a slight smile. It was rapidly starting to seem that hurting Ikkun was the surest way to bring the full weight of kaichou's peerage down upon an enemy. She could relate.

"What the hell…" Sellzen faltered, staring down at himself, and then at his sword. His movements were still swift, but only swift, not godlike. He whirled to face Saji, looking enraged. "You shitty motherfucking cocksucking _Devil_!"

"Go to hell!" Saji yelled back. As far as witty retorts went, it wasn't especially original, but Sellzen's opening salvo hadn't been particularly clever, either. And no one present could disagree with the Pawn's sentiment.

"You'll love _this_ , then," Tsubasa said in a blithe voice. She threw herself at Sellzen, demonic energy surrounding her fists, and began throwing punches. For the first time, the rogue Exorcist found himself facing someone he didn't hold a mobility advantage over. Discarding tactics for ferocity, he let out of a scream of rage, throwing himself bodily at the Rook with Excalibur Rapidly moving in a wickedly-tight series of arcs. Tsubasa started dancing around him, Momentum Pillage sapping his speed further and granting it to her, and her punches started connecting faster and harder.

-xxxx-

Sona's mouth quirked slightly upward.

Sellzen had just committed himself, and she had most of her peerage present, with reinforcements on the way. Between Saji and Tsubasa, his speed advantage was being neutralized, and all he had was willpower and combat experience. Nothing to treat lightly, but the balance was shifting towards her peerage. And with Shizuku and Rio en route…

…she dared let herself hope this could be ended without anyone else being seriously injured.

That is, until Tsubasa was just a hair too slow in dodging Excalibur Rapidly. The Holy Sword slashed a deep crimson wound diagonally across her torso, causing her to stumble and spin away. She gritted her teeth, staying on her feet, her expression one of fighting back agony by sheer force of will. The power being leaked from the Exorcist via Absorption Line seemed to bolster her Rook piece's resilience, but that wound wasn't closing.

Sona heard another sharp intake of breath, and saw that Issei had turned sheet-white again. He was hurling himself forward, blue flames awakening around his hands. As he clenched them into fists, the wreckage of the iron lamppost rose from the ground, crumpling into razor-sharp shards and arranging themselves around his fists like an impromptu pair of cesti.

 _That's new,_ she thought as she summoned forth another water dragon. This one was very nearly frozen, more like her sister's Celsius Cross Trigger in serpentine form. _Effective, though…_

Sellzen was still slowed in his movements. He didn't notice Issei bearing on him until the flaming cestus connected with his jaw, and he went flailing into the nearest wall. He was grinning as he came back up, though, and whirled his blade up and around, bringing it crashing down towards Tsubasa.

Yozoragiri met it again, and Kaori's icy fury had turned her eyes into chips of frozen mahogany. This time, she moved faster and more fluidly than Sellzen, her Holy Sword moving like it was a part of her body. Her eyes met Issei's, warming fractionally, and after a moment's communion, they began weaving in and out of each other's strikes, continuing to pile on the bodily trauma. Tsubasa let out a shaky sigh of relief and let them take the brunt, staying in the fight just enough to keep draining Sellzen's speed.

Sellzen managed one last vicious rally, a backhanded swipe that Kaori barely managed to parry. The force behind it still sent her skidding across the street, and she slumped against the wall, panting and bruised. The rogue Exorcist swung Excalibur Rapidly upwards, aiming for Issei's neck.

Another blade interposed itself, this one wreathed in white-hot plasma.

Sona blinked. That was clearly Ame-no-Ohabari, but the woman wielding it could have been Kaori's slightly-older sister. Realization crashed down on her: it was far from uncommon for magicians to age slowly, or to have access to spells that would extend their youth.

Issei was staring in shock, the fact that he was centimeters away from being beheaded suddenly gone from his mind. His face was now cherry-red; Sona knew that he had just figured out who she looked like. "Kaa-san?" he squeaked.

"Hi, son," Rio said calmly. "Move, please."

Issei's body heard the words, even if his mind was still stalled. He stumbled out of the way, and the Azure Conflagration Princess went sword-to-sword with Sellzen. Tsubasa stuck close to make sure his momentum was still draining, but her face was now ashen.

"The Aoikaji-hime," Sellzen sneered, not bothering to conceal the leer he directed at Rio. "I've always wanted to cross swords with you." The leer widened. "Others things, too."

"You couldn't handle me," Rio retorted, and she was suddenly wreathed in the blue flame that was her namesake. The plasma around the Holy Sword's blade turned blue, and as she whirled and slammed it hard into Excalibur Rapidly, a _Rekka-dan_ -like explosion threw him back into the wall yet again.

" _Now_!" Sona cried out, an inexorable note of command in her voice. She pointed, and the ice dragon surged forward with a howl that chilled the air for a hundred meters around. "Issei-kun! _Railgun, now_!"

"Right!" Issei yelled, thrusting his hands into his jacket pockets. They came out with handfuls of bundled-together roofing nails, and electrokinesis flared to life around his arms. He shaped his hands into finger-guns, and the bundles of nails started spinning around his arms and hands like a Gatling gun.

"Wait!" Kaori's voice rang out. "Get him… get him into the center of the street… under the light!"

Sellzen laughed, even as blood trickled from between his teeth. He was finally, genuinely starting to show signs of being overwhelmed. You couldn't really tell from his expression, though. (The blood notwithstanding, of course.) "You shitty fucking Devils! And you stupid Shinto _bitch_! Like I'd lay down and die for the likes of - "

He went stumbling into the center of the street, framed under the streetlights as if for a photo, as Kaori launched herself at his back. As he turned to scream at her, bringing his sword around, she hurled herself backward, jerking Yozoragiri oddly. The shadows pooled around his feet suddenly turned into insubstantial-looking black blades. They made a very substantial-sounding _noise_ , however, as they lanced upward, piercing through his torso like a butterfly being pinned to a display case.

At the same time, Tsubasa managed one last vicious kick, filling the air with the sound of pulverized ribs. She then sank to her knees, clutching her wound.

At the same time, Issei yelled "Railgun!" and mimed a firing motion. This sent three dozen roofing nails screaming into Sellzen's gut at nearly five times the speed of sound.

At the same time, the blue-white plasma around Ame-no-Ohabari lanced out like a burning arrow, striking his skin at a high enough temperature to vaporize it on contact.

About three seconds after that, Sona's water dragon crashed into Sellzen like a Mack truck, coiling around him. This time, there were no games with temperature, no attempt to capture him. The dragon merely closed its jaws around his neck as he screamed, defiant to the last, and snapped them shut.

There wasn't enough of him left for an autopsy to ID.

They never did figure out just who landed the actual killing blow. In the end, they ended up simply ceding the kill to Saji, who had spent nearly five minutes sapping the rogue Exorcist's power with Absorption Line and feeding it to Sona and Issei. The Pawn had promoted to Queen, and was swaying on his feet by the time Sellzen was vanquished, but he was still upright and alert enough to smile in thanks. Sona immediately dismissed him, sending Ruruko and Momo to make sure he ate something and got home safely.

The first thing Tsubasa did, once Asia and Momo had healed her, was smack Issei upside the head. He winced; not even a Rook's constitution would let him get away without feeling _another_ Rook's slap. " _Don't do that_ ," she snapped, and yet again he saw the worry and concern that underlay that anger. Her hand lingered against his cheek. "Don't do that again."

Another, softer slap resounded off the back of his head. Reya's voice chimed in, "At least not against crazy Exorcists with Holy Swords." Her hand moved to his back, patting his left shoulder gently before withdrawing.

"Roger that," Issei sighed, rubbing his head. He turned a sardonic eye on Kaori, silently glad to see her healed. "Anything you want to add?"

"I'm not gonna slap you," she sighed. "After all, I told you to go running after him." Instead, she hugged him briefly, and after a moment, he returned it with equal brevity. The two of them withdrew quickly, as if afraid of being burnt.

Sona was less restrained. She slapped Issei as well, although there was virtually no force behind it. "Never again," she said softly.

"Yes, kaichou," he said with utter seriousness.

They slumped against each other, clinging together like two souls lost in a storm.

* * *

"He's dead?" Asia asked, still shaking from the adrenaline crash. Beside her, Amanogawa was unconscious on the ground. Once the former nun had confirmed that he was physically intact, no one had seemed in a hurry to wake him up, not even Shizuku. Gorou had finally caught up, having been delayed at work, and was more than a little chagrined at not having been able to help.

"Yes," Sona assured her. "Sellzen's gone. He won't bother you again, Asia-chan."

The words did little to reassure the former nun. "This is never going to end, is it…? There's always going to be someone who'll come after me, wanting to make me work for them. Or to kill me, and take _these things_ …" She held out her hands, flashing the manifested Twilight Healing rings. "It's not going to stop…"

"Let 'em try," Issei said resolutely. "We'll kick their asses each time. We won't let them take you anywhere, Asia-chan."

"No, we won't." Rio added her voice to the reassurances, and the three teenagers looked up at the note of authority in her voice. "Asia-chan, I have a possible solution."

"What is it?" Asia looked wary but hopeful.

"I can arrange for you to join one of the magicians' associations," Rio explained. "Your Sacred Gear may form the basis for your healing ability, but I believe you have magical potential in general. And almost no one gives grief to a magician registered with one of the associations."

"Particularly if you're the contracted magician of a high-ranking Devil." Everyone blinked in surprise as Rias joined the conversation, and turned to look at the Gremory heiress. "It's common for magicians to make such contracts, and their partner is bound to ensure their security." She smirked slightly. "Messing with a Devil's contracted magician is generally considered a particularly stupid way to commit suicide."

"Are you offering to contract with Asia-chan?" Sona asked curiously.

"It would probably be seen as too much a conflict of interest if you or Serafall-sama did," Rias pointed out. "And I'm still effectively short a Bishop. A contracted magician would be a good substitute."

"I…" Asia trailed off as she processed what she'd just heard.

"Of course, I could just give you my second Bishop piece, instead," Rias offered. "My family is known for how well we treat our retainers. I'm sure Sona and Hyoudou-kun would vouch for that."

"Rias is correct," Sona said thoughtfully. "That is one of the House of Gremory's claims to fame."

Asia pursed her lips, thinking. Finally, she sighed and shook her head. "I… Gremory-san, thank you, but can I put a pin in that for now? Perhaps, after I've been a magician for a while…"

"Sure." Rias nodded. "It's possible to be both, after all. And it's best to take an Evil Piece after considering it carefully."

Gorou and Rio exchanged looks. "Asia-chan," Rio began, drawing the girl's attention, and cleared her throat before continuing. "They, ah, they often streamline the process if it's for a member's relative or child. Helps to keep things 'in-house,' as it were. Which means… if you'd like, we'd be happy to make you a formal member of the family."

Asia stared at Gorou and Rio for a moment before the words fully processed. When they did, she resumed trembling from hope and fear and joy. " _Really_?"

"Yes," Gorou said, his voice thick. "It's the very least we could do. To make sure you have a home, a happy life. Not just because you're Daria's niece. Because you're _you_ , Asia-chan." Rio nodded firmly, clearly not trusting herself to speak.

"We'll be your home, Asia. For real, this time," Issei promised, grasping her hands. Sona laid her hands over his, and she squeezed their hands as well.

"Yes!" Asia sobbed tears of joy. "Nii-san… Sona-neesan…" As Gorou and Rio threw their arms around her, she pulled Issei and Sona into the big, awkward group hug.

"I'm going to get Kouki-kun out of here," Shizuku told Rias softly, unwilling to interrupt the group hug. She had the unconscious Amanogawa slung over one shoulder, and despite his relative bulk she handled him like he was a small sack of potatoes. "I want to find out just what he was thinking, getting involved here… if he was thinking at all."

"Good idea," Rias said, offering the Kyoto Faction observer a bow. "Thank you for your assistance tonight, Yaegashi-san."

"I was glad to help. That Sellzen should have been cast out of the Vatican with a bullet in his head." Shizuku's voice was unusually sharp.

"Something happened to him while we were fighting S-Sellzen," Asia said hurriedly. "For a minute, he had something around his hand. Something like an armored glove." Eyes snapped to her, and she shrugged helplessly. "It was only there for a moment. Sellzen thought it was a Sacred Gear of some kind."

"Thank you for telling me that, Asia-san. I'm glad you're safe. I'll need to talk to Kyoto about things, then." There was a slightly flinty note in Shizuku's voice, a warning not to push right now. Rias and Sona exchanged glances, and after a moment, the former girl shrugged.

"Well, then. Have a good night…" With a nod, she hauled Amanogawa away like she was carrying a backpack.

* * *

This time, the "victory party" involved karaoke. And this time, it wasn't the rec center in Kuoh. No, both Sona and Rias's peerages teleported to the Underworld, to one of the largest amusement centers in the Gremory territory, and staked out the largest room. And, as the guest of honor once again, Asia was pushed in front of the mike first. Remarkably, it didn't take her long to find a song she wanted to sing. Even more remarkably, it wasn't a hymn, but instead a song she mentioned being one of "Cousin Dulio's" favorites.

Hearing someone sing about experiencing a spiritual reawakening in Memphis was a novel experience for Devils, to say the least. No one could deny the soft-voiced life she brought to the song, though. The fact that the Church was now forever denied to her made the performance surprisingly moving.

Before the party could falter into wistfulness, Tsubasa claimed the mike and launched into Phoenix's "Lisztomania." The upbeat, frenetic opening keyboard and guitar started lifting the energy levels in the room, and even if she and Issei were the only ones in the room who really _knew_ the song, the screens made it easy for everyone to sing along (with varying degrees of skill). By the time she polished off the song, everyone had a second (or, in some cases, third) wind.

-xxxx-

"Hey, Kiba!" Issei reached out, gently pulling the Knight over to the Student Council side of the table. "You and the fukukaichou should talk blades! I mean, there's some similarity between swords and polearms, right?"

"Some, but - " Kiba began.

Issei motioned frantically to Sona and Rias. The former cleared her throat. "Actually, I think the asymmetry would be good for you two discuss, in terms of a joint training program for our peerages. All our weapon-users should be on the same page. Don't you agree, Rias?"

"I certainly do." The ORC president had quickly picked up on the script, and was putting some real enthusiasm into her voice. "Yuuto-kun, why don't you and Tsubaki-san talk it over now?"

"I have time if you do, Kiba-kun," Tsubaki said, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Sure," Kiba said slowly, still looking slightly lost. "Let's do that."

"And while you're doing that, Sona-chan will sing something with me," Issei said, taking his fiancee's hand and tugging her to her feet.

"And I'll go and get something to drink," Rias said lazily, standing up as well. "I'll have some snacks sent over to you two."

"That wasn't exactly subtle, Issei-kun," Sona said amusedly as he pulled her towards the song console.

"If I tried to do it subtly, it still wouldn't be done by the time I graduate," the Rook replied with a grin. "Besides, look. They're starting to talk."

Sona looked, and smiled. Indeed they were. It was awkward, and stilted, but the ball seemed to be rolling. And, most importantly, it was free of the last party's stiffness. Across the room. Rias gave Issei a thumbs-up, and he returned it. Somehow, it was unsurprising that she smelled like watermelon-flavored ramune soda to him. Not a thing wrong with it… just not his type.

"Programmer, Rook, pyrokinetic, dragon, and now matchmaker," she joked. "I'm starting to think a Mutation Piece was a _cheap_ price."

"Yeah, well…" Issei reddened slightly, and blurted out, "But I get to be with you. So _I'm_ the one getting the bargain, really…" He rubbed the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.

"We're both fortunate. Let's leave it at that," Sona told him, and squeezed his hand. Her expression shifted towards thoughtfulness. "Hmm. Would you mind if I did one first before we do a duet?"

"Go right ahead." Issei looked pleasantly surprised, and passed her the song catalogue. Sona flipped through it for a few minutes, finally finding something she seemed pleased with. When she found it, she keyed the song number into the terminal and picked up a mike. Hers was next in the queue, and the others looked over in surprise.

Akeno was the current singer. Issei had never heard the song, which appeared be about "September girls," before. It was far more bittersweet and wistful than he'd have expected from the Gremory Queen, but she did it justice. As she finished her song, she curtseyed to the enthusiastic applause and gave Issei a knowing smile. As he'd expected, her scent was something sweet and deadly, a flower he'd discovered was called white oleander.

She offered Sona the mike, and the Sitri heiress took it, clearing her throat and stepping to the center of the room.

An understated percussion intro was followed by a guitar and piano establishing a gentle, soothing melody. Sona didn't even bother looking at the screen, instead starting to sing in a soft, earnest voice at exactly the right moment. Clearly, this was a song she knew well.

 _Come away with me in the night_

 _Come away with me_

 _And I will write you a song_

 _Come away with me on a bus_

 _Come away where they can't tempt us_

 _With their lies_

Her eyes found Issei's, and fixed onto them. The rest of the room, and its other occupants, faded into the background as she continued to sing.

 _I want to walk with you_

 _On a cloudy day_

 _In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high_

 _So won't you try to come_

 _Come away with me and we'll kiss_

 _On a mountaintop_

 _Come away with me_

 _And I'll never stop loving you_

The song shifted into a brief instrumental break. As the guitars flatpicked their way gently through the break, both of them drew breath.

 _And I want to wake up with the rain_

 _Falling on a tin roof_

 _While I'm safe there in your arms_

 _So all I ask is for you_

 _To come away with me in the night_

 _Come away with me…_

The song transitioned into a brief outro that mirrored the intro, and Sona clasped the mike in both hands and bowed as the last notes died away. The applause nearly blew the room's doors off. Issei might have been clapping and cheering loudest, but he certainly wasn't the only one.

Sona beamed, her shoulders relaxing. She walked over to Issei and they grinned at each other for a long moment. Once again, the presence of anyone else in the room became a distant concern.

"Either sing something or kiss, already!" This came from Rias, who was looking at the two of them with a combination of amusement and envy. A laugh echoed around the room at that. Even Asia joined in, beaming. Rias shook her head fondly, and stepped up to the song console, making a choice of her own and picking up the mike. Issei had come to know her well enough to be unsurprised that she chose a J-rock classic. At least she seemed to genuinely know her way around BOØWY's "Bad Feeling."

"I suppose we'd better find a song, then," Sona said dryly.

"I guess we'd better," Issei agreed, slightly red-faced. It took a few minutes of flipping through the catalogue before they found something they could agree on singing together, and the realization of what the song was made them both chuckle and gently bump their foreheads together.

After Rias wrapped up "Bad Feeling" with some surprisingly effective vamping, Sona punched in their selection while Issei grabbed the mikes and passed her one. As the low-key, mellow intro started, he cleared his throat and launched into the lyrics right on the beat, his voice steadier and more firmly on-key than he might have been given credit for.

 _Never wanna stand up for myself  
Never wanna get in the way, I said it  
I don't know what the plan is,  
But you can share with me, 'cause I'll  
Be listening here,  
To everything you say, I won't turn away  
And I listen, open up my heart and  
I must say that I love you, so_

Sona's voice joined with his on the chorus, her voice somehow freer-sounding than with the first song. Certainly, her body language was more relaxed, as both of them swayed to the music.

 _Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than ever before  
Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than I've ever known_

Sona claimed the second verse for herself, a note of surprising vulnerability entering her voice as she sang. Once again, she and Issei were taking little note of anyone else. (It was probably just as well, given the approvingly amused looks most of the others were giving them. Even Saji was managing to keep most of his jealousy off of his face for once.)

 _Every day is a battle I face  
Strange life I lead but it's what you've decided  
I'll give it all into your hands,  
Do what you will with me, and oh  
I'll smile when you speak  
Remember those times I was hoping for something  
And shaking my head from all I've done  
But you never left me_

Their voices joined again on the chorus, and their swaying to the music seemed to synchronize.

 _Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than ever before  
Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than I've ever known  
Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than ever before  
Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than I've ever known_

Sona's voice braided with Issei's for the bridge, starting quiet and building rapidly to singing the last chorus together with all their might.

 _Give it up for you, I would give it up for you  
I would give it up for you, I'd do anything for you_

 _Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than ever before  
Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than I've ever known  
Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than ever before  
Ooh la love, I've fallen in love, and it's better this time than I've ever known_

 _I have fallen in love  
I have fallen in love  
I have fallen in love… _

As the instrumental outro faded out, they slumped their shoulders and smiled what-the-hell smiles at each other. They barely heard the cheers from Asia or the other Devils. They didn't really hear Rias gleefully urging them "Now kiss!" either, but they made it moot a moment later.

* * *

"I'm a little surprised they were okay with today," Issei observed, leaning against the wall. Sundays were usually spent working on combat or magical training, as opposed to being on school grounds. Instead, they were here in the afternoon and dressed, if not formally, at least nicely. Outside the window, the rain had returned, but it it was light and faltering, a last gasp before sunny weather finally reasserted itself. "I would have expected them to insist on whatever made things hardest for us."

"Some Exorcists might have," Sona admitted. She settled into her chair, assuming her typical air of calm authority. Issei still marveled at how she was able to slide into that persona so easily. "But this one has a good reputation for avoiding ruffled feathers. Tsubaki, you have the sword?"

"Of course," the Queen said calmly. She hefted the long, unremarkable gym bag onto the desktop. "Now, the only question left is what we do with this…" She indicated Sellzen's gun, recovered from where it had landed in a neighborhood pool. The large, chunky semiautomatic sat on Sona's desk. Even unloaded and with slide locked open, it looked menacing.

"I don't suppose you'll let me claim it as spoils of war," Issei said dryly.

"You can already shoot fire and lightning from your fingers, and you're effectively a walking coilgun," Sona countered. "Exactly what makes you think you _need_ it?"

"I'm not planning on pulling any chuunibyou crap with it," he said earnestly. "More reverse-engineering. If my Sacred Gear is supposed to let me create stuff with my mind, the more things that I know the ins and outs of, the better."

"I didn't think you _would_ 'pull any chuunibyou crap' with it," Sona admitted. "All right. Ajuka-sama takes the ammo. And _that_ stays in my apartment, unless I give permission for it to go elsewhere. You can experiment with it all you like there."

"Deal," Issei said equably, pushing it back across the desk towards her. Sona slid it into a drawer just as the office door opened, and Saji poked his head in. "Kaichou," he said formally, "the representatives from the Vatican have arrived."

"Thank you, Saji-kun. Shown them in, please," Sona replied.

Saji entered with two people Issei had never seen before. The man was young-looking and handsome, with tousled blond hair and green eyes, and wore the vestments of a priest. The girl beside him was pretty and serious-looking, with chin-length azure hair (save for a single forest-green lock) and brown eyes. She wore a white hooded cloak with gold trim, and carried a long bundle wrapped in a white blanket.

Sona inclined her head respectfully towards the man. "Signore Dulio Gesualdo. I'm honored." She motioned first to Tsubaki, and then Issei. "My Queen, Shinra Tsubaki. And this is Hyoudou Issei, my fiance and one of my Rooks."

He bowed politely in return. "Miss Sitri. The honor is mine. Miss Shinra…" He bowed again to Tsubaki, and as he straightened up, he smiled at Issei. "Hi, Issei. It's been awhile."

"Hi…" Issei smiled awkwardly. "Um, I'm really sorry, but I don't think I remember you... "

"It's been a very long time." Dulio looked towards Sona. "Issei's parents and I are old friends." He gestured towards the girl beside him. "This is my colleague, Xenovia Quarta."

"Another of my parents' old friends," Issei mused. "Ah, nice to meet you." He bowed quickly, first to Dulio, then to Xenovia.

Sona joined her fiance in offering Xenovia a polite bow. "Welcome to Kuoh."

"Thank you." The girl's tone was polite, but slightly clipped; she clearly wasn't comfortable conversing with Devils. Dulio gave her a gently reproving look, and turned back to Sona. "I understand you've disposed of Freed Sellzen."

"Yes. I'm afraid we didn't leave anything for a burial." Sona gazed at him levelly. "I understand that the Vatican washed their hands of him."

"We did," Dulio admitted equably. "Although, even with all his unsavory traits, there are those who wanted to bring him back and put him to work for us again." His lips thinned, showing what he thought of the people who would suggest that. "But, personally, I owe you and yours my gratitude. He will best benefit the world through his absence."

"I couldn't agree more," Sona said with a nod.

"So why'd Asia get kicked out of the church?" Issei asked flatly. "I've never met anyone so pure-hearted." Sona gave him a mildly chiding look, but didn't protest.

"Because she's a heretic," Xenovia retorted. "She healed someone who turned out to be a Devil."

"Doesn't your church teach you to help anyone who needs it?" Issei shot back. "So she lives up to those teachings, and they kick her out for it. Nice." The Rook gave the young exorcist a dirty look.

"Don't talk like you have any right to judge us, _Devil_ ," Xenovia sneered, her brown eyes flaring.

"Xenovia!" Dulio snapped, at the same time that Sona said "Issei-kun!" in a razor-sharp tone. The two subordinates froze, still glaring at each other.

"Issei-kun, calm down." Sona's voice was less sharp now.

"Xenovia, leave it alone," Dulio ordered.

After a moment, Issei relaxed. Xenovia did likewise. They continued to glower in each other's direction, though.

"You're right, Issei." Dulio's soft voice was oddly loud in the sudden, tense silence. "Asia lived up to the church's teachings, and they kicked her out for it… but that was at least half manipulation by certain elements in Grigori. I would have put a stop to it had I been present, but I had been on assignment." He shook his head. "I'll always regret that."

"Yeah, well…" Issei shrugged uncomfortably. "I guess I'm not blaming you. The church really dropped the ball with Asia, though." His expression became resolute. "We won't."

"You can _have_ her," Xenovia muttered, then flinched from Dulio's sudden, sharp look.

"I leave her in your hands, then," Dulio said. "And please tell her that… that I'm sorry."

"We will." Sona's voice was firm, clearly determined to get things back on track. "We have the Holy Sword that Sellzen was using. We're not sure where he got it from, though we have suspicions." She gestured at the long gym bag sitting on the table.

Dulio unzipped it, and whistled. "Excalibur Rapidly. There is no way he should have had this in his possession. In fact, the last I'd heard, it was still in Orthodox custody…"

"Please, Signore Dulio. Get this thing out of Kuoh." Sona nodded at the gym bag. "This cut a swath through our town, and nearly killed Asia. There are already enough Holy Swords in Kuoh, and I won't have one of the Excaliburs turned against my peerage."

"All right, all right. I'll take care of it," Dulio replied, in the most placating tone he could muster.

"Signore Dulio, why are you letting her order you around…?" Xenovia protested.

"Because she's _right_ , Xenovia," Dulio answered levelly. He looked at Sona. "You mentioned other Holy Swords. Shinto?"

"That's right," Sona stated. "More than that, I don't feel comfortable discussing. If you wish, I can arrange a meeting with the Kyoto observer."

"Unfortunately, we're on a tight schedule," Dulio said, and he sounded genuinely regretful. "Another time, perhaps."

"Shinto or not, shouldn't Holy Swords be in church custody?" Xenovia insisted. "After all, the Kusanagi -"

"Special circumstances there," Dulio corrected her. "Whatever certain members of the College of Cardinals may think, the rule is that weapons from other mythologies stay in those powers' hands. Might as well try and claim Mjolnir or the Brahmastra for Rome."

Xenovia's mulish expression suggested that she'd be game to try, regardless of the repercussions, but she didn't protest further. Issei opened his mouth, but Sona shot him another look, and he snapped it shut.

Dulio, clearly pretending not to notice the byplay, rezipped the bag and hefted it over one shoulder. "Thank you, Miss Sitri." He inclined his head to Sona, and then did the same to Issei. "Take care, Issei. Tell your parents hi for me."

"Um, sure," Issei said, slightly surprised. "Um, you take care too…" He pointedly did not bid Xenovia farewell, and she responded in kind.

Once they were gone, Sona gave her fiance a reproving look. " _Please_ don't pick fights with Exorcists."

"Yes, please don't," Tsubaki added with a touch of wry humor. "We've only just repaired the school grounds."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Issei rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno. This was the first chance I had to get answers about Asia, and the way that blue-haired girl was talking about her, like she _deserved_ it…"

"I understand." Sona picked up her cooling cup of tea. "I didn't care much for her attitude, either. Still. It's a good idea to be cordial whenever possible, especially with as accommodating as the Signore was being."

"I take it he's pretty important, then?"

"Dulio Gesualdo is the most powerful Exorcist in Vatican service," Tsubaki explained. Unbidden, she moved to the sideboard and began preparing a fresh pot of tea. "If he'd been present for the battle, he probably could have taken on Sellzen by himself and won. He also has a Longinus, Zenith Tempest." She smiled wryly. "Yes, you could say he's pretty important."

"And he knows my parents." Issei looked both impressed and slightly afraid. "At this rate, I half-expect them to be drinking buddies with the Maou, or the Christian God…"

Sona chuckled at that. "I suppose that would complicate seating at the wedding." She looked up at the knock on the door, and called out, "Come in."

"Thank you," Rias's voice answered, and she entered. "I passed the Exorcist as I was coming in," she said. "He seemed cordial enough. I can't say the same for his assistant, though."

"She and Issei-kun were having a mild disagreement," Sona said, her tone slightly sardonic.

"Hey, there's no blood on the carpet," Issei pointed out mildly.

"That's good. I'd hate to see the cleaning bill if there were," Rias said with a slight smile.

"Oh, I wanted to thank you again, sempai. Kaa-san said that Asia-chan's meet with the magicians got scheduled without a hitch, and that you helped arrange that."

"You're welcome," Rias said, her tone and expression suddenly serious. "I wish I could say I'd done it out of the goodness of my heart. But the fact is that I need a second Bishop very badly, and a contracted magician makes a good substitute." Rias gave Issei a steady look. "And, I'm afraid that I'll be needing a favor from you. I don't know just _when_ I'll need it right now, but I'll let you know."

"Okay…" Issei answered in a dubious tone.

"Don't worry. It's something I don't think you'll mind doing. Sona, you know what I'm talking about. Can you please fill him in?"

"Yes. I had a feeling about this." Sona's voice was unsurprised. "Issei-kun, let's go home."

-xxxx-

"I had a feeling," Issei said softly. "The Rating Games with Riser's peerage that you were having us watch."

"Yes," Sona agreed softly. The two of them sat on her couch, cups of tea cooling on her coffee table while they leaned against each other. "The chances that my peerage will face his in a Rating Game are definitely present, but Rias will be facing him long before that comes about."

"And you think I'm the cheat code that'll get Rias-sempai free," he mused.

"You, and Saji-kun, and perhaps Kaori," Sona confirmed. "Informal Rating Games allow for a King with an incomplete peerage to 'borrow' pieces from a friend."

"When do you think this will take place?" he asked.

"The agreement was that Rias be free to do as she pleased until she graduated university." Sona finally reached for her cup, taking a drink before answering. "But chances are good that Riser will push to have that moved up. If I were him, I'd give Rias until high school graduation, as a goodwill gesture." Another long drink. "That would give us ample train to train you three, both individually and in concert with Rias's peerage. Perhaps get you and Saji-kun to Balance Breaker. By graduation, you'd be a force to be reckoned with."

"Do you think he'll wait that long?" Issei asked. He reached for his own cup, downing its contents in a single gulp.

"I don't know for sure," Sona admitted. "If I were him, I'd want to aggravate Rias as little as possible. But he's never been worried about how he gets along with other people."

"So I guess we just train as hard as we can in the meantime," Issei said softly.

"That's the reasonable guess," Sona said with a reluctant nod.

"Is it okay if we don't worry about that anymore tonight?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"That's perfectly fine." She snuggled closer to her fiance, and they held each other for a long time, the light rain falling outside the only noticeable sound.

* * *

"What?" Katase stared at Asia in shock. "You're _Hyoudou_ Asia now?!"

Asia nodded happily. "Issei-san's parents - I'm sorry, I mean, nii-san's parents - I mean, _our_ parents adopted me this weekend.

"It's all true," Issei confirmed in a casual tone. He was unmoved by the shocked eyes staring his direction. "And, you know, I've always wanted a younger sibling, so…"

"Ise, you lucky bastard!" Issei had to recoil from Matsuda and Motohama suddenly being in his face. "Not only do you have a fiancee, even if she's a boring librarian-type like the kaichou - "

"Don't call her a boring librarian!" Issei protested. Reya nodded in agreement, looking miffed, and so did Aika and Kaori.

" - but you have a brand-new, not-blood-related sister who's a real cutie!" Motohama finished. As usual, he ignored Issei's protest about the insult to Sona. "If you don't take advantage of this, you're not a man!"

"And I suppose you two think you're experts on the subject?" Aika drawled in a sneering tone, making the two boys flush and drawing snickers from the other female students in the class. Asia was the only girl in the class not to join in the snickering. That was because she was too busy looking at Issei in confusion. "What's so funny, nii-san?"

"It's nothing important, Asia," he assured her with a grin. "My friends made a stupid joke. A _really_ stupid joke."

"Who's joking?!" Matsuda and Motohama chorused, their cheeks still burning.

Issei snorted in amusement and glanced out the window. The morning had dawned sunny and dry, for the first time in what felt like months. So far, the skies were clear.

He hoped they'd stay clear for a while.

* * *

Notes:

"Shorter chapter."

"Out sooner."

Insert helpless laughter here.

I had really, truly planned to have this out sooner. Then January happened - nothing really big, but a bunch of RL stuff exploding in my face simultaneously, and taking forever to clean up. So, my apologies, but here you are! (The good news, such as it is, is that Chapter 6 is more than half-written at this moment, so when I have Chapter 5 ready to go, I'll probably be able to give you both barrels. So, cross your fingers for me…)

One major inspiration for this fic that I forgot to reference earlier is FunahoMisaki's _Different DxD_. (Glad to see it updated relatively recently - as many characters in the fic itself would say, "F***ing finally!") That was the first Issei x Sona fic I ever read, and the inspiration for Issei being reincarnated as something other than an overpowered Pawn.

The enhanced senses/scent-as-identifier-and-indicator-of-emotional-importance thing is based on the similar idea from majik7's _DxD: A Different Direction_. I've done things with it I'm not sure the other writer intended, so blame me if you dislike them.

As stated in the opening notes, I'm taking creative liberties with Japanese mythology in this fic. Most of what I know is gleaned from long-ago readings of the _Kojiki_ and discussions with acquaintances in the _Scion_ 2e forums and Discords, and even that knowledge is being played with fast and loosely. But it seemed likely to me that the Holy Sword equivalents in different mythologies and pantheons wouldn't be _exactly_ the same as the Western Holy Swords. Also, I've gone with the Shinto and Kyoto Factions being allied, but the latter being semi-autonomous from the former.

The chapter title is taken from Blue Oyster Cult's "Burnin' For You," while the epilogue titles are taken from Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" and Tears For Fears' "The Working Hour." The songs from the karaoke party are Marc Cohn's "Walking in Memphis" (Asia); the Bangles' cover of Big Star's "September Gurls" (Akeno); Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me" (Sona); and Foster The People's "I Would Do Anything For You" (Issei/Sona duet). (The original plan was to use Aretha Franklin's version of "You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman)," but I decided that Sona would choose something more understated right at the moment. So, that's getting saved for later!)

And no, you really _don't_ want to know why Gorou associates the scent of yakiniku with Rio.

Next Chapter: Chapter 5: We Draw Our Own Designs (But Fortune Has to Make That Frame)

" _Nice to meet you, Hyoudou Issei. My name is Vali."_

* * *

 ** _Epilogue 1: Like a Knight From Some Old-Fashioned Book_**

"You idiot," Shizuku sighed as she dumped her friend on his couch. "What the hell am I gonna do with you? You're lucky Asia-san made sure you were all healed up…" She honestly wasn't sure if any of the Devils present would have, not without being guilt-tripped into it.

Kouki didn't respond. Being unconscious was taking all of his attention.

Shizuku dropped into the armchair next to his couch and rubbed her forehead. Asia-san had briefly mentioned something, something she hoped her new family had forget. It could mean anything, she reminded herself.

But she knew, somehow, what it probably _actually_ meant. And she had to make sure, one way or another.

She summoned a communications circle. "This is Yaegashi Shizuku. Yasaka-dono, I apologize for disturbing you so late…" She pitched her voice so that Kouki wouldn't overhear her. Even if he was out like a light, she wanted to minimize the chances of him doing or saying something stupid.

"It's all right, Shizuku-san," a voice responded. "I take it this is regarding the Freed Sellzen situation?"

"Correct, Yasaka-dono." Shizuku cleared her throat. "It has been resolved. Freed Sellzen has been killed, and the Holy Sword he possessed has been taken into custody by the Devils. I expect they'll be contacting the Vatican about it."

"I suspected they would," the Kyoto Faction's leader replied. "Did you assist in his execution?"

"I didn't deal the killing blow, but I helped run him to ground," the observer answered. "I believe Hyoudou Rio-dono and her son finished him off, though." She paused before adding, "There is another matter. Amanogawa Kouki-kun had been captured and injured during the situation. Reportedly, he briefly manifested a red gauntlet twice."

Yasaka paused. When she spoke, it was in an almost breathless tone. "Did the witness get a good look at the gauntlet?"

"She just said that it was red, and only manifested for a few seconds," Shizuku answered promptly. "It appeared just long enough to crack Sellzen's ribs. That's inconclusive as to its identity," she added quickly.

"I suppose." Yasaka's tone was doubtful. "As the observer on the scene, what is your recommendation?"

"It is unlikely that I can convince Kouki-kun to visit Kyoto with me before summer break," Shizuku said in a formal tone. "But the ascertainment of his Sacred Gear's identity is paramount. I need access to a portable scanner. Failing that, I need the presence of a specialist in Sacred Gear lore."

"At present, the latter is likelier to be available more quickly." Yasaka had the good grace to sound embarrassed. "The only portable scanner we have was… damaged."

"Damaged how…?" Shizuku asked, her eyebrows rising.

"It's better I don't say." Yasaka sounded even more embarrassed now. That _had_ to mean that either a senior youkai or one of the kami were involved. Shizuku wanted to facepalm. It would figure if Susano-O had broken it by mistaking it for a TV remote and throwing it at the screen, or something like that.

"...very well. Either one, as quickly as possible, please."

"I'll try and have the specialist out to you in the next couple of weeks. By Golden Week, at the latest," Yasaka promised.

"Thank you, Yasaka-dono," Shizuku told her, relaxing slightly.

"Thank you for your patience, Shizuku-san. I hope things settle down for a while in Kuoh. Contact me again if you need help sooner."

"I will. Good night." The communications circle winked out, and Shizuku relaxed into the chair again.

"Kaori," Kouki mumbled sleepily.

Shizuku rolled her eyes. She doubted that even his subconscious had puzzled out what he felt for their absent friend, or how that fueled his reaction to her relationship with Nagumo-kun.

He was probably convinced it was pure chivalry. He was probably convinced that it was the same with Hyoudou-kun.

Kouki had begun snoring, and she shot him a dirty look before letting her eyes close. Just for a minute, she told herself.

* * *

 ** _Epilogue 2: We Are Paid By Those Who Learn By Our Mistakes_**

"You're just a bit of an exhibitionist right now, aren't you?" The good-natured teasing came from a beautiful, buxom blonde woman wearing magician's robes over a conservative skirt and blouse. She leaned against the studio apartment's wall, watching its occupant lean against the open windowsill.

"Like you're any different when you and Tobio are on downtime," the apartment's occupant shot back. She was a lovely, healthily-endowed girl with long silver hair, slightly tapered ears, and garnet eyes. And it was true that her low-rise panties and camisole could hardly be called modest (although no one who saw her in them could deny that she wore them well). "Speaking of, I thought you two were hunting down more of Raynare's cronies."

"They're doing a good job of hiding out. We spent the last four days running into brick walls," the blonde said as she entered the kitchen. Without asking, she opened the fridge, pouring two glasses of orange juice and offering one to the apartment's actual owner. "Tobi-kun got us permission to come back to HQ and regroup. And I wanted to check on you, too." She dimpled pleasantly.

"You're all heart, Lavinia," the other woman retorted, but the slight smile playing at her lips showed her true feelings about the matter. She stretched and yawned, drawing the window closed before accepting the glass.

"Much as I'm sure the rest of Grigori would like to see you wearing that, I think you'd better put on _actual_ clothes," Lavinia told her friend in a sisterly tone. She started to take a drink, but paused as her phone vibrated.

"What's up?" Her friend drained the glass in one gulp, and eyed Lavinia as she studied her phone.

"It's a request from Grauzauberer." Lavinia began composing a reply text. "They want me to come to Kyoto next week and meet with the Kyoto Faction. The Aoikaji-hime wants her daughter to be inducted as a magician."

"Don't think I've heard of her," the apartment's occupant noted, making a face. "Is this politics? Or just some spoiled rich girl?" Setting the glass down, she started rummaging through drawers for clothes. Finally, she found a pair of iron-grey jeans and pulled those on, buckling a black belt with an oversized buckle on over them.

"Kyoto's most powerful pyrokinetic, though she's mostly retired these days," Lavinia explained. "It sounds like her daughter is a Sacred Gear user, at least. She has a Twilight Healing. It's odd… I'd always thought she had a son." Lavinia sent off the reply. "I'll be going up on Saturday. You can come along, if you want."

"Never been to Kyoto before," the other girl said. She exchanged the camisole for a black sports bra, and pulled on her favorite olive-drab V-neck sweater. "I think I'll take you up on that."

"I thought you might," Lavinia noted. "Grab your jacket. You can buy me breakfast while I fill you in on what Tobi-kun and I have been up to."

"That's not exactly what I can a fair trade," the other girl snorted as she slipped on her black steel-toed boots. "Maybe if I get to choose the restaurant, though."

"Exactly what I was thinking." Lavinia dimpled again. "Ready, Va-chan?"

"Please don't 'Va-chan' me," the girl said in a longsuffering voice. She pulled on her high-collared black bomber jacket before turning back to Lavinia. "Just Vali."


	8. Chapter 5: We Draw Our Own Designs

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. (If I owned it, there would have been more _Initial D_ -style street-racing elements in the Rating Games.)

In addition, this fanfiction borrows elements from _Arifureta_ (property of Shirakome Ryo, J-Novel Club, Seven Seas Entertainment, White Fox, and Asread), _Recovery of an MMO Junkie_ (property of Kokuyō Rin, Comico, and ), and _Great Teacher Onizuka_ (property of Fujisawa Tohru, _Weekly Shonen Magazine_ , Animax, and Fuji Television).

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Creative liberties taken with science/magic/physics warning. Fluff/silliness warning. Violence warning. Author's musical tastes warning.

* * *

 _Chapter 5: We Draw Our Own Designs (But Fortune Has to Make That Frame)_

* * *

Tsubaki stepped out of the bathroom, smoothing down her dress. She wore a forest-green jumper dress with a dark-grey blouse underneath and matching heels, and her long jet-black hair was styled into a neat chignon, with neatly-combed bangs. She had a clutch tucked under one arm that matched her dress, and she wore light blush. (Or maybe she was actually blushing. Issei couldn't swear either way.)

"You look wonderful, Tsubaki," Sona said approvingly.

Issei bobbed his head in agreement. He didn't look quite like himself, thanks to Aika's illusion magic. "You'll knock him dead, fukukaichou."

"Not before the movie is over, I hope," Tsubaki replied with a good-natured smirk. "I keep wondering if it was a good idea to have Yuuto-kun pick me up here…"

"Of course it is," Tsubasa said with a grin. She sat perched on one arm of the couch. "This way, you get our moral support. And he knows what he'll be dealing with if he screws things up."

"I'd really prefer you _not_ pound Yuuto-kun into a thin pinkish paste," Tsubaki replied, a touch of asperity in her tone. Still, her expression seemed at least a little pleased about the statement of support.

There was a knock at the door. Momo, a good-natured smirk on her face, opened it and looked outside. "Come in, Kiba-kun," she said aloud. "You look quite dashing tonight." From most of the other girls in the school, it might have sounded like she was trying to make a move, but it was well-known who the object of Momo's affections was (Save, of course, for the fellow himself.)

"Thank you, Hanakai-san," Kiba replied as he answered. He wore a dark blue suit with black dress loafers, a freshly-ironed white Oxford shirt, and a red necktie. His eyes lit up as he spotted Tsubaki. "Tsubaki-san!" He crossed over to her. "You look beautiful."

Okay, she wasn't wearing blush, Issei realized. That was _all_ natural, from the way she reacted to Kiba's words. "Thank you, Yuuto-kun. You look very handsome, yourself."

"Thank you." Kiba's face pinked slightly as well. "Shall we?"

"Enjoy your evening, Tsubaki, Kiba-kun," Sona told them, her expression almost maternal. "The reservation at Silver Moon will be under your name, Tsubaki."

"Thank you, kaichou." Sona's Queen gave her a quick-but-grateful bow.

"Don't stay out _too_ late," Issei added with a teasing grin.

Both Tsubaki and Kiba turned even redder at that. Kiba found his voice first. "We won't," he said, and turned towards Tsubaki, offering his arm. She took it, and the two of them left the room.

"All right, people," Sona announced in a tone that was good-natured but brisk. "Tsubaki may have the night off, but the rest of us don't. Issei-kun, I believe you have an appointment?"

"Yeah, that's right. Gasper's contractor," Issei confirmed. He glanced in the mirror and made a face. "This face looks really generic, Aika-san. It's almost uncanny-valley."

"Yeah, it is," Aika agreed. "But that's supposed to be part of the spell's effect. No one'll remember what you look like unless they spend a few minutes really studying you." She smirked. "The clock's ticking, Ikkun. It's Mr. Generic, or I Rule 63 you."

"I regret introducing you to that," Issei groaned.

"It's cute that you think I didn't know it already," Aika snickered.

"Fine, fine, let's stick with this," Issei said quickly.

"Perhaps you can 'Rule 63' him next time, Aika," Sona said dryly. "I'll admit some curiosity."

"Well, will you look at the time," Issei said in an even more hurried tone. This was a rabbit hole he was better off not exploring right now… precisely _because_ the implications were fascinating. The speculative looks his peerage-mates were getting made him a little uncomfortable. "Reya-san, if you would, please…"

"I'm pretty sure you're just delaying the inevitable," Reya teased. She manifested a teleportation circle for him anyway.

* * *

Issei tried not to fidget as he stood in the hallway outside the corner office, and glanced again at his reflection in the window. Or, rather, the reflection of the disguise spell Aika had cast upon him. If he was any more generic-looking, he'd be a light novel protagonist, he thought wryly.

Finally, a secretary knocked on the door and opened it, and he got a look at the man inside. He was in his early fifties, a handsome and vigorous fellow long since gone to seed, with bags under his eyes. He was tapping away on his keyboard, his phone sitting next to his mousepad, and he looked up as the secretary offered him a clipboard.

Perfect.

Issei closed his eyes, mentally reaching out to the phone. This was becoming second nature. The executive never noticed a thing. (Of course, it helped that the secretary was attractive, and that the executive was busy visually inspecting her assets.)

It was the work of a minute to find and memorize the inevitable text document that had all the executive's passwords in it. All the jokes about the older generations and technology seemed to apply here, he thought with some chagrin. It was a little disillusioning. It was just as easy to "send" him a text message from someone in his phone book. Whoever "Akira" was, her name - or his - sure got the executive out of the office in a hurry.

As the door swung shut, Issei mentally applied the password, and nodded in satisfaction as he "saw" the desktop in his mind's eye. He pulled the folded piece of notebook paper out of his pocket, double-checking the file names, and looked them up. As he'd expected, they were password-protected, but the list of passwords had that covered. He quickly emailed the files to the burner phone he'd picked up, emailed _those_ from the burner phone to Gasper, and took a few minutes to cover his digital tracks.

By the time the executive had returned, Issei was already in the elevator, plugging a flash drive into the burner phone.

-xxxx-

In retrospect, Issei was unsurprised by the attempt at a double-cross. Disappointed, but unsurprised.

Sasaki was waiting in the parking garage of the office building across the street. He was a bespectacled, sour-looking fellow, giving the impression of a thwarted intellectual who saw everyone but himself at fault for his failures. Beside his sat a navy-blue gym bag. "Well?" he said in a sharp tone.

Issei reached into his coat, offering him the flash drive. "Here you go. All the files for the restructuring. There's a text document with the passwords."

"Hmm." Sasaki turned the flash drive over in his hands, eying it suspiciously. "And there's no chance it can be traced to me?"

"None," Issei assured him. The chances were virtually nil anyway, especially with the burner phone having been turned to ash and dumped into one of the planters outside. It would take a magician, or another Devil, to have any chance at reconstructing _that_.

"Fine," Sasaki said impatiently. He nudged the gym bag with his foot. "There's the payment we agreed upon."

"All right then," Issei said amiably. "You won't mind if I take a look first."

Sasaki's sour expression deepened. "You don't trust me?"

"I trust you as much as you do me," the Rook replied. His tone was still affable, but Sasaki's entire attitude was wearing thin. He dropped to one knee and unzipped the bag, rifling through the bundles of yen notes. Looked like the ¥20,000,000 they'd agreed upon. There didn't look like any dye packs… he concentrated for a moment, and found no trace of the radio signal that would accompany an active one. Best to have Sona, Aika, or one of the Bishops scan the bag, anyway.

He zipped the bag back up and stood, hefting the strap onto one shoulder. "Everything looks good. Have a good night."

"You too." Sasaki said the words heavily, almost resentfully, as if the act of wishing another person well was physically painful. After Issei had gone a few steps, he called out, "Wait. Take the southern stairwell. Security is lighter over there." He had pulled out his phone.

"Sure," Issei said, turning in that direction. Once out of sight, he shook his head. That was so transparent. It really wasn't any wonder Sasaki's career was stalled…

He was three floors away from ground level before he heard running footsteps behind him. He didn't bother turning around; they probably belonged to the same kind of people who were running _up_ towards him. Guys in suits and sunglasses, reaching for collapsable batons. At least that was the worst he'd have to deal with.

Issei let out a sigh and braced himself.

-xxxx-

Five minutes later, Issei walked back onto the level where he'd left Sasaki. His expression was not a pleased one.

Sasaki looked up, clearly expecting to see his security goons with the bag of money. He blanched and nearly dropped his phone.

Issei strode right up to him, his eyes flinty. After a full minute of staring into the salaryman's watery brown eyes, he said levelly, "That was very stupid. Don't _ever_ summon me again." His free hand shot out, tearing the rear-view mirror off Sasaki's driver's-side door, and he crushed it into powder. "Understood?"

"Y-yes…" Sasaki's sour, I'm-above-you attitude was long gone.

"Good." Issei's voice was stony. "Your security people are in the stairwell. They're not _too_ badly hurt. They should be all right if you get them to the hospital right away. I suggest you do that." His eyes narrowed. "I also suggest that you pay out of your own pocket. Otherwise, they're liable to claim insurance, and people will start asking questions."

Sasaki nodded, looking like he was about to pass out. Or soil himself. Or both. Issei had no desire to witness either.

He let out another snort of disgust, and walked away.

This time, he took the _northern_ stairwell.

-xxxx-

"I'm sorry about that, sempai!" Gasper sounded genuinely distressed over Skype. "I had no idea Sasaki-san was planning something like that."

"Not your fault, Gasper," Issei quickly reassured him. He was finding Rias's Bishop easy enough to get along with. His reluctance to use video chat was odd, but it wasn't off-putting. He'd seen way weirder stuff online. The hikikomori thing was something he understood, too, from personal experience. "I think he'd just seen one too many heist movies and decided he was smart enough to pull off a double-cross."

"That's a new level of stupid, trying to pull a fast one on the Devil you summoned to pull a fast one on someone _else_. Sounds like you went easy on him," Aika noted, her tone one of slightly-distracted concentration. She straightened up, the glow from her hands finally fading. "Okay, the spell's gone. You look like yourself again." She smirked fondly. "It's a bit of an improvement."

"Thanks," Issei said with a chuckle. "Yeah, I guess I did, but he seemed more stupid than malicious. I won't ever deal with him again, though. He's all yours, Gasper."

"All right." The Bishop's tone was slightly glum but understanding, and Issei could almost hear him nodding. "I'll make sure he doesn't ask for anything that can't be done remotely, then."

"You might be surprised what people will do to try and weasel out of their contracts, Hyoudou-kun," Rias observed. "Buyer's remorse is definitely a thing when people deal with the supernatural." She shifted her gaze towards Aika. "The money's clean, then?"

"Completely," the Pawn answered. "He actually had a dye pack at the bottom of the bag, but also had the receiver. Never turned either on." She set the dye pack and receiver on the desk. You weren't kidding about him being a dim bulb, Ikkun."

Rias nodded in satisfaction, as did Sona. The latter asked, "And the full amount is there?"

"¥20,000,000 in stacks of ¥1,000,000," Aika confirmed. Her expression was slightly impressed; this was the most cash she'd ever seen in one place. Issei was in the same boat.

"Straight down the middle," Rias said affably, and Sona nodded, turning towards Aika. "If you would be so kind?"

Aika nodded, and started to remove stacks of bills. Soon, ¥10,000,000 in cash sat on Rias's desk.

"All right, then," Rias said cheerfully. "Hyoudou-kun, thank you for helping Gasper out with that."

"It's no problem," Issei said with a grin, turning back towards Gasper. "Us computer nerds gotta stick together, right?"

"Right!" Gasper agreed with a chuckle. "Buchou, will that be everything for the night?"

"Yes, I think so. Good night, Gasper." Rias killed the voice chat and turned the laptop back towards her, looking amused.

Sona smiled slightly and shook her head, while Aika chuckled. The former nodded to Issei, who hefted the gym bag onto his shoulder. "We'll talk tomorrow, Rias. Have a good night."

"You too, Sona," Rias replied. "Hyoudou-kun, Kiryuu-san, you as well." The three of them left the ORC clubhouse, turning in the direction of Sona's apartment.

Aika stretched and yawned, and glanced over at Issei. "Ah, before I forget, maybe you can help me with a contract I have next week, Ikkun."

"Sure," Issei said promptly. "What's going on?"

"Some kind of combined cosplay/fortune-telling thing," Aika explained as they walked. "The girl wants me to dress up like some Touhou character."

"What do you want me to help with?"

"Mostly muscle. Make sure no one gets handsy with me that I don't want getting handsy with me. Maybe some IT, if necessary."

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," Issei replied. He felt a momentary spike of irritation at the idea of anyone getting handsy with Aika, a thought overlaid with wondering what Touhou character she'd be cosplaying as. For a moment, the scent of peppermint ice cream grew stronger, more nuanced, and he tried to suppress a grimace.

Once they were inside and Issei had set the bag down, Sona unzipped it and pulled one of the bundles of bills out. She unwrapped it, quickly dividing it in three, and handed one of the stacks to Issei, and the second to Aika. The third she folded carefully and tucked into her pocketbook.

The Pawn and Rook blinked, staring down at the unexpected cash bonuses. Aika found her voice first. "You sure about this, kaichou?"

"I'm sure," Sona replied. "It's not a usual thing, I'm afraid, but for particularly profitable contracts, it's not unknown for Kings to reward the servants who executed them. Issei-kun handled the situation admirably, and your magic made sure no one could possibly recognize him."

"Thank you," Issei said softly, carefully folding the bills and pocketing them. He chuckled. "That's probably in part going to our date in Kyoto, so I guess it's an investment."

"I have other things in mind for that, too," Sona said, her lips curling upward slightly.

Aika cleared her throat. "I think that's my cue. Night, kaichou, Ikkun." As the other two bade her good night, she summoned a teleportation circle and vanished.

Sona watched the circle fade, and let out a soft snort. "I really wish I'd had an unused Bishop piece for her sometimes."

"She seems to do pretty well with three Pawns," Issei said philosophically, and crossed to the fridge. "Bao okay with you?"

"Yes, please," she agreed. "I'm going to change for bed."

"Need a hand with that?" he asked lightly.

"After we eat," she replied, her tone equally light. A minute later, he heard her voice call out from the bedroom. "Issei-kun, you don't have anything going on during Golden Week, do you?"

"Oh, yeah, that's coming up soon, isn't it?" Issei smiled, pausing with his hand on the refrigerator door. "Nope, nothing specific in mind. You thinking about something?"

"Yes, I am," Sona admitted. "I'd like to take you home with me, so you can meet my parents."

Issei gulped, but nodded. "Sure. That sounds like a good idea." He grinned. "And anyway, it's a good reason to take a trip with you."

"I'm glad you feel that way." Sona emerged, wearing sleep shorts and one of his T-shirts. "Also, I'd like to show you around the Sitri territory. It's largely undeveloped, because otou-sama is a big believer in conservation. But there are a few large towns, primarily around our family seat. And we have several smaller estates along the lakeshore." Her smile turned playful. "How would you like a few days alone with me at one of our lake houses?"

"I'd really like that." Issei's grin threatened to turn lecherous, and he wasn't putting much effort into restraining it.

"Me too." Sona smirked at him, and shook her head. "Shall we get started on dinner?"

"Yeah," he agreed, starting to pull ingredients out of the fridge. "Man, now I'm gonna be thinking about that for the next two weeks."

"I could make it worse…" Sona teased.

"...please, not till after dinner is finished," Issei said in a simultaneously wary and curious voice.

"Well… all right." Sona kept smirking all the way through dinner, though.

* * *

"So? How was dinner?" Momo asked with a smile.

"Dinner was fine," Tsubaki said, doing her best to maintain quiet composure. Hints of a smile kept playing at the corners of her mouth, though.

"And the movie?" Ruruko pressed, virtually bouncing up and down as she did so.

"The movie was good, too," Tsubaki answered. That smile was peeking out a little more.

"Did he walk you home?" Tsubasa asked with a grin, sipping an energy drink.

Tsubaki rolled her eyes at the friendly questioning. "Yes, he did. Are you done now?"

"Just one more." _That_ came from an unexpected source, and they turned to look at Sona. They knew the Student Council president well enough to see the sparkle of mischievous humor in her eyes. "Did he kiss you good night?"

Tsubaki was very still for a long moment. That was her equivalent of embarrassed fidgeting. Finally, she cleared her throat, and the smile awakened fully. "I kissed _him_ good night."

Noises of approval rippled around the Student Council office. Even Sona smiled.

Tsubaki looked around quizzically. "I'm surprised the others hadn't stuck around to ask."

"Reya and Kaori had some classwork to attend to, and so did Saji-kun," Sona explained. "As for Issei-kun and Aika, there's someone else they're having to talk to." She grimaced slightly. "Sadly, it's about a far more annoying topic than your date."

* * *

"You're kidding," Aika said incredulously, before adding, "Sempai."

"I'm sorry, but no." Amanogawa Kouki's tone actually _did_ sound almost regretful, Issei had to admit. "The school regulations are very specific on the matter. For that matter, they're very specific about uniforms." He gave Issei, and his half-unbuttoned uniform shirt (with programming-humor T-shirt visible underneath) - and his lack of a uniform blazer - a disappointed look. By now, everyone knew that Issei's uniform blazer spent most of its time around Sona's shoulders.

"It's a little unusual for someone to complain about club meetings and membership, sempai," Issei said, struggling to feign respectfulness. What he wanted to do was laugh in Amanogawa's face. "Particularly when you're not _in_ the club."

"It's my duty as a senior student to make sure my kouhai aren't out of control," Amanogawa said. "And as a club captain, to make sure that other clubs aren't acting in a way that will adversely affect the rest of us."

Issei's lips thinned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aika cocking her head and giving Amanogawa a politely annoyed look. It was more cordial than he felt like being at the moment. "So if we don't bring our member numbers up to the minimum, you're gonna complain to the principal?"

"Every club needs a minimum of four members," Amanogawa said stolidly. "And to meet on a regular basis. If neither of those apply, then your club is a waste of school resources and needs disbanding. And, since your association with the Council is based entirely around computers, there really wouldn't be a need for you to be there, would there?" Anyone else would have said that with a knowing sneer. Amanogawa did not; instead, he spoke with utter seriousness, clearly seeing himself as a wise elder correcting a foolish youth.

Issei had hoped that, after he had helped save Amanogawa's life the prior week, the third-year student would leave him alone. Instead, he was even more in his face… but in an oddly _friendly_ way. Instead of seeing Issei as an incorrigible evil, he now seemed to see him as a well-intentioned misfit who needed proper guidance from someone respectable. Namely, himself.

Issei supposed it was better than being viewed as a delinquent, but it was even _more_ annoying.

"Fine. We'll find the other two members," Issei said, his tone one of strained politeness. "Will that satisfy you?"

"As long as you do it by the end of the week," Amanogawa said. His expression seemed reluctant to admit to the loophole.

"I understand," Issei said. "If that's all, sempai…"

Amanogawa nodded, but gave Issei a serious look. "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Hyoudou." He cut his eyes to Aika. "Kiryuu-san, please keep me apprised on your club's status."

"Okay, sempai." Aika didn't bother to hide her dubious tone. The minute he was gone, she turned to Issei, looking exasperated. "Is he for real?"

Issei's expression was one of reluctant, mingled exasperation and amusement. "Amanogawa-sempai thinks he's being clever. I think he honestly believes he's 'rehabilitating' me." He said the word while making air quotes, which made Aika snicker. "And even if it doesn't work, he probably believes it'll force me to limit my time with the Council, or even resign and 'leave those poor, helpless girls alone.'" He snorted. "As if all of you couldn't flash-fry me with lightning or something."

Aika muttered something that almost sounded like "As if we would." At Issei's surprised expression, she quickly said, "As if kaichou wouldn't just flash-freeze you and carry you off first." The Pawn snorted derisively. "That guy… I swear, sometimes I think he's projecting. No one can be _that_ pure-minded without their subconscious doing some serious churning."

"That's a frightening thought." Issei shuddered. He really didn't want to contemplate what could be lurking in Amanogawa Kouki's subconscious. "I think you're right, though. I've heard stories about him and Shirasaki-sempai, and the way he acted towards her... Anyway, we have to meet at least once this week, and have until the end of the month to drum up the minimum four members. Including us, fortunately."

"See if anyone else on the Council wants to?" Aika suggested.

"Can't hurt," he said with a shrug, and then grinned. "Maybe I should leave that to my esteemed vice-president."

"Oh, screw you," Aika laughed. "C'mon, _buchou_ , your fiancee's peerage doesn't bite." She paused, then added, "As far as I know."

"Anyway," Issei said hurriedly. That was the _last_ thing he needed to be thinking about right now. "Who would you suggest?"

Aika gave him an amused sideways look, and Issei had to wonder just how transparent he was. "Actually, Ruruko-chan."

-xxxx-

"Sure, that sounds interesting." Ruruko's expression seemed sincere about it, too. "I'm afraid I don't know much about programming, but I'm interested in learning."

"I'll teach you what I know," Issei assured her. "We won't worry about any structured projects or anything like that, unless you have anything in mind you'd like to focus on."

"Maybe." The Pawn cocked her head, looking at him speculatively. "Do you know anything about programming cars' ECUs?"

"I know just enough to know I know nothing," the Rook replied with a helpless chuckle. "Maybe that'll be our club project, learning the difference between that and desktop programming." He gave Ruruko a speculative look of his own. "That's right. Your uncle's a mechanic, isn't he?"

Ruruko nodded. "He's taught me some things, since neither of my cousins have an interest in it." She smirked. "Papa isn't thrilled about it, but I think he's about ready to give up trying to keep me from being a tomboy."

"Hey, it's cool that you've learned some things," Issei said encouragingly. "Maybe you can teach _me_. My Sacred Gear is supposed to let me create stuff when I get good enough with it, and maybe that'll help."

"Deal," Ruruko enthused. Issei grinned at her, and turned to Aika. "You can sit it out, if you want."

"We'll see," Aika said speculatively. "I would have just done homework anyway." She stretched and yawned. "So, all we need is one more member."

"If you have ideas, I'm all ears," Issei told her. "We need to get a club room, too. And some computers…"

He didn't, he decided, feel very comfortable with the sudden conspiratorial smiles that passed between Aika and Ruruko.

-xxxx-

"Excuse me?"

Issei looked up at the doorway, and stared in surprise at who he saw standing in it. "Nagahama? What are _you_ doing here?"

"This is your programming club, right?" Nagahama was awkwardly holding a computer tower.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, it is. Ah, go ahead and bring that on in." Issei motioned to one of the empty desks. "My vice-president, Kiryuu Aika-san, and our other member, Nimura Ruruko-chan."

"She's in my class," Ruruko piped up. "Is something wrong with your computer, Mitsune-chan?" She was all smiles.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, there is," the kendoka said quickly. "It's been running really slowly, and you reminded me about your club, so…"

"Well, we'd be happy to take a look," Aika said. Despite her words, she seemed content to perch on the counter, her legs dangling idly.

"Yeah," Issei agreed, eying the tower. "Just set it on that desk next to the wall." He grabbed the storage container that held their spare cables and cords and fished out the required items. "Ruruko-chan, grab the spare monitor, please. The flatscreen one. And the spare mouse."

"On it!" the Pawn said cheerily.

"How long has the problem been going on?" Aika asked, languidly getting to her feet. For a moment, the afternoon sunlight hit her just right, and Issei felt the scent of peppermint in the room briefly grow stronger. He wasn't sure whether to feel relief or disappointment as it returned to normal, so he settled on both.

Fortunately, neither Ruruko nor Nagahama seemed to notice. The first-year had turned to Aika and was answering her question. "A few weeks now. Everything's running so slowly." As she spoke, Ruruko was plugging in the cables and setting up the mouse.

"Do you mind if I download the antivirus I prefer?" Issei asked. "It's a little more robust than the one you have."

"Go ahead," Nagahama said, clearly surprised by their efficiency.

Once the computer was on, Issei started downloading the antivirus and looking through its directory. Five minutes passed in relatively peaceful silence before he looked up, trying not to laugh. "Nagahama, does anyone else use your computer?"

"Just my little brother. My parents won't get him one of his own."

"Ah. That explains a few things." Issei turned the monitor slightly so she could look at it better. "There are a couple of hidden folders. I'm gonna assume that these games aren't yours."

Nagahama looked at the file names and flushed. "N-no! Those definitely aren't mine."

Aika glanced at them and shook her head. "Seriously? _Aneki Midnight Train 4_? That franchise shouldn't even have had a _third_ game, given what they did with it." She let out another snort as she looked down for list of files. "And _Onee-chan Secret Tutor Club 2_. Another unnecessary sequel."

"Don't knock the _Onee-chan Secret Tutor Club_ franchise," Issei said distractedly. "The second folder is videos. They're pretty similar in content." He looked at Nagahama. "I'll delete the folders and give the computer a virus scan."

"Thanks," the first-year student said. Her face was still red. "Aki, you dumbass…"

"...do I _want_ to know why you know so much about eroge?" Ruruko asked Aika dryly.

Aika just smirked.

Issei deleted the folders and started the virus scan. Leaning back in his chair, he said conversationally, "You look like you want to slug your brother right now."

"Can you blame me?" Nagahama groused.

"Not at all," he agreed. "But - a word of advice? I think things may go over better if you don't bring up _what_ he downloaded. Just talk about the fact that he used the computer without permission." He smiled wryly. "Believe me. He should be less embarrassed or defensive, and more willing to listen."

Nagahama blinked, processing that. The entire visit to the club seemed to keep surprising her. After a moment, she said, "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, sempai."

There was a knock at the door, and the four of them looked up. Issei quickly suppressed a groan as he saw Amanogawa in the doorway. "Yes, sempai?"

"I was just checking on your club," Amanogawa told him gravely. "It's Friday, as we agreed upon." He looked around. "Is this all your members?"

"Um, yes…" Issei had half-forgotten about the minimum membership thing. He opened his mouth, but Nagahama spoke first. "I just joined today, sempai. I'm Nagahama Mitsune, Class 1-B. Nimura Ruruko-san is also a member."

"Ah." Amanogawa looked around again, and Issei couldn't tell if the older student were relieved or disappointed. Probably a little of both, really. "Well, things seem to be in order here, then. I'll be checking in again later." With that, he left the room.

Issei let out a sigh of relief, and turned towards Nagahama. "Thanks."

"D-don't misunderstand," Nagahama insisted. "It's just until you can find other members. I owe you for fixing my computer." Her cheeks were slightly red.

Issei tried to ignore Aika's smirk, and Ruruko's giggle. "Sure, no problem," he said calmly.

* * *

The cliche was present in Devil media, just as it was in human media. Those plotting earth-shaking deeds of dubious morality and legality did so in dark, seedy taverns, or in opulent private clubs while attended by fawning servants. Rarely did the conspirators ever meet in a busy mall food court during the lunch rush, or discuss their nefarious plans over burgers and fries. Yet that was exactly what was happening here.

The Lucifer Grand Emporium was the largest shopping center in the Devil capital, and at any given lunch hour there were over a thousand people in its central food court. When one factored in the nearby indoor playground and fountain with attached sitting areas, there were literally thousands of people present, eating, playing, or milling around. It was the best kind of natural anti-eavesdropping device, particularly when subtle usage of illusion magic was at work. No one had any reason to pay particular attention to the woman and two men eating burgers and fries.

"So it's confirmed, then?" the woman said sourly. Illusion magic presented her as dumpy and plain, a far cry from her true statuesque beauty. She wore an expensive tunic and skirt in garish colors, the very picture of a shrill housewife with more money than style.

"It is," the dark-haired man with glasses confirmed. He, of the three of them, looked closest to his actual self, even with the rumpled business suit and necktie. "Both the Sitri and Gremory heiresses will be in Kyoto. The report says that it has something to do with the Sitri's fiance's sister being inducted into Grauzauberer, but we all know the real reason."

"Further negotiations with Kyoto," the second man spat. Like the woman, his relatively dumpy and unattractive appearance was a jarring contrast to his true visage. He wore ill-fitting slacks and a sweater, and slurped contemptuously at his iced tea. "They want to expand that non-aggression pact into an active military alliance. You know who that would be aimed at."

His companions nodded grimly. The woman took another bite of her lunch and opined, "The two of them are hardly pushovers, though. The force we'd need to ensure their deaths would be substantial."

"It's desirable, but not necessary." The dark-haired man smirked. "All we need to do is convince Yasaka that an alliance with Gremory and Sitri is more trouble than it's worth."

"You want to shoot up Kyoto. Cause as much collateral damage as possible and make it clear _they're_ why it happened." The second man said this in a matter-of-fact tone. Completely absent was any consideration for the innocent people who would be caught in that notional crossfire.

"Exactly," the dark-haired man said, mock-saluting his co-conspirator with a french fry. "If we can take them out, all the better, but they're secondary targets. I'd rather concentrate more attention on Yasaka and her main confidants."

"Yasaka is equal in power to an ultimate-class Devil," the woman pointed out. "You're not seriously thinking of making a real play to take her out."

"It's tempting. There's always a certain appeal in making an example out of opponents. ' _Pour encourager les autres_ ,' and all that. But no. Seriously trying to do so would require at least one of us being on the scene. Two of us, if we wanted to be absolutely sure. That's a very poor idea right now." He shook his head. "No. We just want to scare the shit out of her. Concentrate enough force to make her think twice about irking us. That's the most we can do." The dark-haired man shook his head. "It's a pity we're not in a position to attack fully, but I think we can muster the forces for this."

"It's a strategy of weakness," the second man protested. "I don't like it."

"If you have an army in your back pocket that you've been hiding, now's the time to produce it," the dark-haired man retorted.

"Is…" The woman pursed her lips and pointed upward. "...aware of the plan?"

"In a general sense," the second man said. His tone had reverted to sourness. "Right now, I think he prefers not to know details." His sour expression curdled further. "Perhaps we should consider one more thing in this attack." As the other two looked at him, he explained, "Sitri's future sister-in-law, the one being inducted into Grauzauberer. She's a former nun, correct? Excommunicated for healing a Devil?"

"Yes. How did you know that?" The dark-haired man blinked in surprise.

"Our… friend from the current Beelzebub's family was that Devil," the second man elaborated. "He has something of a fixation on her. He'd probably be grateful if we could capture her for him."

"It's nice to want things," the woman snipped back. The idea that the former nun, or her family, might have talents or connections was never even raised.

"We can keep that in mind," the dark-haired man said. "It shouldn't be a priority, though. Not with the limited forces we can bring to bear."

The second man shrugged. "Understood."

"Wait." The woman's voice had suddenly gone quiet and deadly, and the two men eyed her carefully. "Who ate the last of the fries?"

* * *

Goryōkaku in early April was not particularly well-populated, the sakura-viewing parties notwithstanding. That suited the woman who sat alone on the fortress-turned-park's observation deck, calmly sipping sake from an old-fashioned bottle. Anyone who saw her would have seen a gorgeous black-haired woman in a black kimono, with split bangs and the bulk of her hair up in a complex pair of rings. That was fundamentally accurate, though illusion magic concealed her cat ears and tails, as well as the fact that the kimono was half open with most of her buxom figure visible.

Her serene solitude was interrupted by someone sitting next to her. She glanced at the person, preparing a tongue-lashing, and paused, recognizing her. "You're kidding me-nya."

"Hello, Kuroka-san." The other woman was also dark-haired and lovely, with her hair up in a high ponytail. She wore grey cargo pants, a black sweater, and a dark-blue bridgecoat. A silver ring glinted meaningfully on her left ring finger. "I had a feeling I'd find you here."

"Yaegashi Sumire." Kuroka snorted. "Kami save me from a Yaegashi who knows too much-nya." She knocked back another gulp of sake and gave the other woman an old-fashioned look. "What do you want?"

The dark-haired woman sat beside Kuroka. Both women were silent for several minutes, to all appearances content to look out over the former fortress. Finally, Sumire spoke. "I thought you'd like to know. Hyoudou Rio-dono will be visiting Kyoto this weekend."

"Ah." Kuroka wasn't sure what to say to that. Or what to feel about it, for that matter. She still wasn't sure what had possessed her to leave her number with Takamichi for the Hyoudous. The number for her _real_ phone, no less, not the endless number of burners she had stockpiled. "Just for a visit-nya?" She poured herself another drink.

"Not really," Sumire said. "Her daughter is being inducted into Grauzauberer."

Kuroka paused in mid-pour, her brows knitting. "Daughter?" She set the saucer down, fixing Sumire with a piercing look. "They don't _have_ a daughter. They only have Icchan-nya."

"Apparently, they've recently adopted a friend's niece," Sumire said, giving the nekoshou a piercing look of her own.

Kuroka's eyes widened slightly. _That_ was almost certainly… she hadn't thought about Asia in years. The last she'd heard, Dulio had taken her to the Church, and was keeping a close eye on her. What had happened there?

Still, Asia wasn't the first thing on her mind. "What about Icchan-nya?"

"It sounded like he and his fiancee would be coming along too, but as tourists." Sumire shrugged. "The report was primarily focused on Hyoudou-dono herself."

"His fiancee, hmm?" Even Kuroka hadn't been _that_ disconnected from the Devil grapevine. Icchan and Sona Sitri… it wasn't something she could wrap her head around, but then, she hadn't seen Icchan since she'd stormed out.

" _Kuroka-nee! Come play with me, Kuroka-nee…"_

" _I'm coming, Icchan! What do you want to play today?"_

" _The dragon prince and the cat princess! Fighting together to save the world!"_

"Kuroka-san?" Sumire was studying her, and Kuroka realized she'd been woolgathering.

"Right," she said, a little more crisply than was probably necessary. "Now, what I want to know is, why is the Yaegashi family telling me this-nya? What are you gaining?"

"Reconciliation, perhaps."

"The hell you say-nya," Kuroka retorted.

"We're seeking Kyoto's stability and prosperity," Sumire replied amiably. "What affects the Aoikaji-hime and her family has a potential effect on us. Particularly with the pact we now have with the Houses of Gremory and Sitri, and Hyoudou Issei-kun's relationship with the Sitri heiress. Anything that can help keep that family stable is welcome."

Kuroka flicked her ears in reluctant agreement.

"There's something else you need to considered," Sumire added. "Kyoto may not have Grigori's reputation for taking in strays, but you were a youkai before you were a Devil." Her serene expression was gone, replaced by utter seriousness. "Yasaka-dono suspects a new time of conflict to be in the wings. It wouldn't be a good time for anyone to be caught out in the cold."

"...I need to think about this-nya," Kuroka said carefully.

"Of course." Sumire rose gracefully, leaving a business card on the bench next to Kuroka's sake bottle. "I'll leave you to your drink, then."

Kuroka nodded her thanks, raising a hand in farewell as the other woman left. She spent a long time looking out over the park, her expression giving no clue as to what she was thinking about.

* * *

For the three hundredth time (approximately) since she'd said yes, Ravel Phenex regretted accepting her brother's second Bishop piece.

For much of her life, she'd looked up to Riser. He was handsome and talented, the textbook description of a scion of the House of Phenex. Ruval-niisama and Riyal-niisama were just as talented, and somewhat nicer, but the flair and panache with which Riser acted had convinced Ravel that _he_ should have been the head of the family. It was only when she'd gotten older that she'd started seeing the flaws in his image. Those flaws had only become more glaring since she'd agreed to become his second Bishop.

The worst part was that since she'd accepted the piece, he had begun treating her little different than his other servants. She was half-surprised he hadn't expected her to… indulge him the way his other servants did, and she wasn't prepared to rule out him asking that. He'd have a rude, superheated awakening coming if he did, but it would still make things… awkward.

At least she was in good company, she reflected. The little psychopaths with chainsaws aside, most of his peerage had been welcoming of and friendly towards her. She was finding it especially easy to get along with Mihae, her fellow Bishop, and Isabela, one of her brother's Rooks. It was in their company she found herself today, while onii-sama was Maou knows where with Yubelluna, probably using office furniture in a non-standard fashion. The three of them were in one of the family estate's sitting rooms, Isabela reading a dog-eared copy of _Slaughterhouse-Five_ while Mihae worked on a crossword puzzle.

The daughter of the House of Phenex rose to her feet, suppressing a yawn as she closed her laptop. She had spent the morning tracking the House of Phenex's holdings on the Lucifer stock exchange, and was ready to do something else. "I need to get some fresh air. I'm going to the human world."

"Wait, Ravel-sama." Isabela rose smoothly to her feet, with a grace that belied the Rook stereotype. "It can be dangerous. Let me accompany you."

"Thank you, Isabela-san." Ravel gave her a grateful smile.

"Of course." Isabela nodded in return. "Where were you planning on visiting?"

"I hadn't quite decided yet," she replied, her tone slightly sheepish.

Mihae set the puzzle book down with an air of satisfaction. Evidently, she'd finished the one she'd been working on - and in pen, no less. "If you'd like, Ravel-sama, I could show you around the city where I grew up."

"That's very kind of you, Mihae-san," Ravel said, and she meant it. This might prove to be less an idle distraction, and more an actually interesting excursion. "You grew up in… Kyoto, correct?"

Mihae nodded, rising gracefully to her feet. "Yes. It's been a few years since I've been back, but I believe I can still perform adequately as your guide."

"I will take you up on that," Ravel declared. "And I shall buy lunch. Do you have any particular recommendations?"

"Actually, I do." Mihae smiled. "How do you feel about ramen?"

* * *

"Ready?" Issei wore charcoal-grey slacks, a royal-blue button-down shirt under an unbuttoned black vest, a black necktie, and brown loafers.

"Yes." Sona stepped out of the bathroom, smoothing down her skirt. It was light-blue and denim, the hem brushing her kneecaps, and she wore a black sweater/blouse with mock collar, and black Mary Janes. A black purse was worn over one shoulder. She gave Issei an approving look. "Very nice. Red is your best color, but blue looks quite good as well."

"And you look gorgeous," he told her, offering his arm. Smiling, she took it, and they left the apartment.

-xxxx-

"There you are!" Rio called out cheerily. "We were starting to think you'd decided to stay home!"

"Just got a late start," Sona assured her. "You look very nice today, Rio-san."

"Kind of you to say." Rio smoothed down the sleeves of her houmongi, which was the same color as her family's pyrokinesis. A long, blanket-wrapped bundle was slung over one shoulder, undoubtedly Ame-no-Ohabari; the fact that its presence wasn't making Issei itch implied some heavy-duty enchantment at work. She smiled at her son and future daughter-in-law. "You two look nice and dressy today. Have big plans for your date?"

"Sona-chan has something in mind for that," Issei said, rubbing the back of his head. His mother looked like her normal self… or what _he_ thought of as her "normal self," anyway, and he was silently grateful for that. He'd had a bit of a hard time looking at her since the fight with Sellzen. The fact that she was actually young (and hot) under her graceful-early-middle-age facade was enough of a surprise, but her youthful self's resemblance to Kaori was really disconcerting. At least her scent hadn't changed, he reminded himself. That would have made things _really_ weird.

Fortunately, Asia chose that moment to emerge from the stairway, and she smiled brightly at the sight of Issei and Sona. "Nii-san! Sona-neesan! You look very nice."

"You too, Asia," Issei told her, resisting the urge to pat her on the head. His adopted sister was dressed in a dark teal blouse, with a long, flowing skirt of a slightly lighter shade, and brown leather half-boots. A small brown satchel was belted to her right hip, and a silver crucifix necklace hung around her neck. "I guess we're just waiting on sempai, then?"

"Not anymore, you're not." The four of them turned to face Rias. The Gremory heiress was, undeniably, the most casually-dressed of them, but her slacks and sweater were still of high quality, and cut in a fashionable style. "I apologize for the delay, but my brother called."

Both Sona and Issei tensed slightly. The Sitri heiress asked carefully, "Is everything all right?"

Rias nodded. "It sounded like things are quiet at the moment. He mostly wanted to make sure my peerage and I would be returning home for summer vacation." She smiled in a mock-conspiratorial fashion. "Onii-sama may be just the tiniest bit overprotective of me."

"I can't imagine what _that's_ like," Sona said dryly.

Rias chuckled. "No, Serafall-sama isn't like that at _all_." She looked towards Rio. "Rio-san, shall I handle the circle, or did you want to?"

Rio nodded to her. "Teleportation magic has never been my strong suit. Please, go ahead."

"Wait, tou-san's not coming?" Issei said in surprise.

"Your father doesn't really like going to Kyoto any more than he has to," Rio explained. "It has a lot to do with the… shall we say, the recklessness of his youth. Besides, I think he had some plans for today anyway."

-xxxx-

"Okay, I assume everyone knows how this game works," Gorou said cheerfully, as he finished shuffling the deck of cards. He wore a green dealer's visor, and began dealing the cards.

"Yes, Gorou, we know," Yu-Long said amiably. "Thank you for hosting, by the way."

"We haven't really used this pocket sub-dimension much anyway," he said graciously. "I may do this more often, now that Issei's part of the supernatural world."

"How _is_ he adjusting, anyway?" Tiamat asked. She wore her humanoid form today, and already had her seat at the table staked out. (She also wore a T-shirt that declared "Thanos Did Nothing Wrong," which left her friends puzzled.)

"Pretty well, pretty well. It helps that he's already got a cozy setup with the Sitri heiress." Gorou grinned. "I can already see his harem starting to form. Don't think _he_ quite sees it yet, though."

"Where do you want me to set the drinks?" Alivan asked as he teleported in, hefting the casks of mead.

"Over there, thanks. I have a refrigeration spell set up on that shelf. Don't worry about the food, Tannin is getting the takeout."

"Tannin's already _here_ with the takeout," the former Dragon King announced as he teleported in. Indeed, his arms were piled with pizza and Chinese food boxes, and had a cloth grocery bag full of dragon apples slung over one shoulder. He'd bought nearly in bulk… logical, considering that he and his friends had dragon-sized appetites. "Middy called out sick." He snorted. "It's probably because he owes me gold for covering the pizza _last_ time." He squinted at the cards, and rolled his eyes. "Uno? Really?"

"Remember what happened the last time we played poker," Gorou reminded him, and every dragon present shuddered.

"Blizzard Dragon already apologized for that," Yu-Long pointed out.

"I'm not letting him back into the group until he actually pays for the damages," Gorou declared. "All right, everyone, grab some food and we'll get started."

-xxxx-

The teleportation circle deposited them in an empty alleyway in Arashiyama. Rio reached into her purse, and handed small, silver lapel pins to Issei, Sona, and Rias. "Kyoto is full of shrines and temples," she reminded them. "These should cushion you against any ill effects if you visit any of them. You might think of them as a kind of spiritual diplomatic immunity." She smiled. "After all, you _are_ foreign dignitaries of a sort. Even Issei would count, given his relationship to Sona-chan."

"Clever thinking," Sona murmured approvingly, and Issei and Rias both nodded. "We _were_ planning on visiting several shrines today. But will you three?"

"We"ll be meeting Reni-san at Kiyomizu-dera, at least. Beyond that, it will depend on how the meeting goes. I'd like to pay a visit to Yasaka-sama if possible, but she may have her hands full with official business."

"Is there _anyone_ you and tou-san aren't friends with?" Issei asked dryly.

"Sadly, yes," Rio admitted. "Some of them are still in Kyoto. But I don't think any of them will pull anything while we're here."

"Do you know Reni-san?" Asia asked curiously.

"Only by reputation. She's associated with Grigori as well as Grauzauberer, and is supposed to be one of the master magicians of her generation."

"Grauzauberer. That's the one that Asia is signing on with, right?" Issei asked, his tone more one of making sure than actually asking

"Yes, it is." Rio nodded. "It's primarily active in Central Europe, but also with active branches in Eastern Asia," Rio explained. "It has cordial relations with the Kyoto Faction's mages. More to the point, its leader, Mephisto Pheles, is also a Devil… one with some literary fame." She smirked slightly, and Rias and Sona chuckled softly. "So, as an organization, it has procedures in place for its members to contract with Devils."

"How many magicians' associations are there?" Issei asked.

"How many countries are there in the world?" Rio replied with a soft chuckle. Sona and Rias nodded in agreement, and (much to Issei's surprise) Asia did as well. "It's not really a joke, Issei. There are a _lot_ of magicians' associations, but most of them are local to the country or region they're located in. There are a handful that have true international influence, like Grauzauberer."

"Interesting," Issei mused.

"There are a number of members of the Five Families affiliated with Grauzauberer," Rio noted. She then smiled wryly. "At some point, I need to introduce you to them formally. You're related to some of them, after all."

"The Doumon, you mean?" Issei asked.

"Primarily. But there has been a fair amount of intermarriage between the families." Rio looked over at Sona. "Tsubaki-chan is a Shinra, right? So was my mother. She and Issei are likely cousins, then."

"What about the Himejima?" Rias asked, and smirked good-naturedly as Issei stumbled.

"More distantly, but yes." Rio raised an eyebrow at Issei's reaction.

"My Queen is a Himejima," Rias explained. "Hyoudou-kun is scared to death of her."

"That's because I have a working survival instinct," Issei muttered.

Sona rolled her eyes and patted Issei's back. "She just likes teasing you, Issei-kun."

Issei muttered something about "white oleander."

* * *

Akeno sneezed, and looked around. "How strange. I wonder if someone is talking about me…"

* * *

"Meeting at Kiyomizu-dera, hmm? It's almost like we're in a movie," Issei teased.

Rio smirked and shook her head. "No jidaigeki antics here today, I'm afraid." She gestured at the crowds. "We're supposed to meet Reni-san at the main hall. Not the veranda itself, sadly. Are you two heading off, then?"

Sona nodded. "We'll be having lunch at Menbakaichidai."

Rias perked up. "The fire ramen?"

"It's open until eleven at night, sempai," Issei said hurriedly. "I'm sure you could go in the evening." He rubbed the back of his head. "We're going to Yasui Konpira-Gu first, though."

"Ahhh, I see." Rio gave them an approving smile. "Never a bad thing, to try and ensure the favor of the kami."

"That was our thinking," Sona said. She took Issei's arm. "We'll be off, then. See you later." She and Issei raised their hands in farewell, and joined the stream of foot traffic heading away from the shrine.

"Yasui Konpira-Gu?" Asia asked.

"It's a local shrine that is popular for people looking for or wanting to strengthen their relationships," Rio explained. "Or for people looking for help in leaving bad ones behind."

"Sona has a well-hidden sentimental streak," Rias commented. "I'm sure she planned this from the moment she thought of coming to Kyoto."

"I don't doubt Issei was easy to persuade," Rio replied with a slight smile. "But we have our own appointment, don't we?"

The two younger women nodded, and they headed for the stone steps. Rias adjusted the pin on her lapel, looking around with some slight nervousness.

* * *

With a name like "Lavinia Reni," it was all but mandated that she was a foreigner, and the figure waiting for them certainly qualified. She was a beautiful woman, tall and buxom with long blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes. She wore a long black pencil skirt and starched white blouse under the light grey robes and pointed hat that were the "professional" garb of Grauzauberer members. She stood just outside the main hall, checking her phone, and the fact that she was managing to avoid being gawked at was the surest sign of all that she could do magic.

She smiled as she spotted them, and offered a polite bow. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Lavinia Reni, with Grauzauberer." She paused, then added, "Given the circumstances, you should be aware that I also work for Grigori."

The three women from Kuoh returned the bow. Rio spoke first. "We were already aware. I appreciate that you didn't conceal the fact from us, though. I presume that fact will not affect my daughter's status." Her polite-but-firm tone kept it from being a question.

"Of course not." Lavinia's expression turned serious. "We're aware of the unpleasantness she's experienced at the hands of Grigori's rogue elements. We desire to avoid further such developments."

"As do we," Rio agreed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Reni-san. I'm Hyoudou Rio, late of the Kyoto Faction. This is my daughter Asia." She glanced at Rias, considering for a moment before continuing. "And this is Rias Gremory, a friend of the family."

"Pleased to meet you all." Lavinia paused thoughtfully as she turned to Rias. "The heiress to the House of Gremory, hmm? May I presume that you wish to contract with Asia once she's been inducted into our organization?"

"That's right," Rias agreed, inclining her head respectfully to the magician.

"Good. We're all on the same page, then." She finally turned her attention to Asia, her smile returning. "So, Asia. You wish to join Grauzauberer?"

"I do." Asia's expression was firm, and also showed awareness of her unsure footing. "I have a Sacred Gear, and I've been exploited in the past because of it." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Kaa-san convinced me that becoming a magician would be my best chance of maintaining some control over my future."

"Your mother has a point," Lavinia told her equably. "Let's get started, then." She shifted her gaze towards Rio. "I'm glad your friends were willing to arrange someplace quiet for us to study, Rio-san."

"Yes, they were quite understanding when I explained the situation," Rio noted. The four of them began walking at a steady clip, making small talk as they left the temple grounds. Five minutes of walking brought them to a closed storefront. Rio reached for the door, her fingers and the handle glowing slightly as she did. Once they had entered the narrow hallway, she closed the door securely, leading them down the hall to a battered-looking Western door, and rapped firmly against the frame three times before opening it; the frame pulsed dimly with white light after the third knock. Behind the door was a large, sunlit room, not unlike a dojo, with a surprisingly high ceiling - at least four meters tall at its lowest point. The room was mostly empty, save for a low-slung table and a pillow for sitting. The table had a legal pad, a small stack of books, several mechanical pencils, and a calculator sitting on it.

"Math," Asia said, a touch of resigned humor in her voice. "I remember being told that magicians use a lot of it, even before kaa-san brought up becoming one."

Lavinia nodded. "Mathematics are a big part of how magic works. It's not _quite_ like a formula where you have to determine a different variable each time, though." She paused, then added, "Usually, at least. There are some rituals that do require just that. For example, casting countermagic against someone else's spell or ritual. But for the most part, once you've learned the spell, you can apply it anytime and expect the same result."

Asia nodded, processing everything the magician said. She glanced towards Rio and said with a soft chuckle. "Kaa-san, I've never seen you or nii-san do this with your pyrokinesis."

"Both Issei and I have always been very good at math. As in, 'complex calculations in your head' good," Rio explained. "Also, magic passed down through family heritage works differently. It's actually closer to Devil magic, in that will, desire, and mental framework play a large role. The magic you'll be learning with Grauzauberer can be learned by anyone with basic magical aptitude. But I have a feeling that you have a specific magical affinity of your own, Twilight Healing aside."

"I knew it!" Lavinia said conversationally. "I was certain you had a son."

"Yes," Rio replied with a nod. "I would like to bring Issei in sometime, but probably not in the near future. He accepted an Evil Piece recently in order to be with his fiancee."

Lavinia raised both eyebrows. "That sounds like quite a story."

"Perhaps we can meet them for dinner. I'm sure they'd be willing to share it," Rio said. She looked at the stack of books. "Those are the standard aptitude tests?"

Lavinia nodded. "It's through those that Asia will learn where her strongest magical talents lie. Her Sacred Gear notwithstanding, of course." She gave the younger woman a reassuring smile. "I have a Sacred Gear, too. The abilities it gives me don't always mesh with my _actual_ magical inclinations. It may be the same for you."

"What's yours?" Asia asked, perking up a little.

"I'll show you once you're done with the aptitude testing," Lavinia promised.

* * *

"Is it weird that I feel a little excited doing this?" Issei asked as he wrote on the slip of paper.

"Maybe," Sona told him. She had already written her name and wish on her slip of paper. "But I feel the same. So, at least you're in good company."

"I knew _that_ already." They exchanged smiles.

They had chosen a relatively low-traffic time to visit Yasui Konpira-Gu. Only a handful of people, the attending priest aside, were there, and they were the only couple.

Issei studied the large, paper-covered stone for a long moment.

"It's not going to move, Issei-kun," Sona finally said, good-natured sardony in her voice.

"I'm more worried about going in the wrong way," he admitted.

Sona cocked her head, but said nothing. This was, of course, something they were doing for fun. Half for romance, half for laughs… but still, getting it _right_ was important. It was never a bad thing to avoid irking the kami, particularly when (according to Issei's father, so probably accurate) Issei was himself part kami.

He finished writing his name and wish. "All right. Do you want to go through first, or do you want me to?"

"Do you promise to keep from looking up my skirt?" Sona replied dryly.

"...I'll try?"

"You go first, Issei-kun," she said firmly, then added with an amused snort, "I promise to try not to stare at _your_ butt." She pointed at the front of the stone. "That way."

Issei nodded, clutching his strip of paper, and dropped to his hands and knees. He paused at the entrance, to make absolutely sure he was going through the right way, and started crawling through the tunnel. He could hear Sona moving behind him as he went.

As he emerged, he got carefully to his feet, and offered a hand up to Sona as she emerged. She nodded her thanks, taking his outstretched hand. Once they were both on their feet, they reached for the nearby pot of glue, carefully adding their wishes to the other slips of paper covering the massive stone.

Issei let out a sigh of relief as he patted down his slip of paper. "There."

"You're taking this more seriously than I expected," Sona said in a gently teasing tone.

"Maybe part of me's still afraid I'll wake up from this dream," he admitted.

"I promise you, that won't happen," she assured him, squeezing his arm. "You're my Rook and my betrothed, Hyoudou Issei. You couldn't escape me if you tried."

"That's what I'm counting on," Issei replied, his tentative smile relaxing.

His stomach chose that moment to growl, breaking the understatedly-emotional mood.

"I suppose that means we'd better go to Menbakaichidai now," Sona observed.

"Yeah, I think it does."

* * *

Menbakaichidai was slightly less busy than Issei had expected, but only just. The small restaurant made a habit of limiting the customers' stay to thirty minutes, and they arrived just as the changeover was starting. What that meant, in a practical sense, was that he and Sona were able to get seats together at the semi-crowded counter, instead of having to wheedle another diner into moving. The scents wafting upward from behind the counter were mouthwatering, though, and he and his fiancee exchanged smiles of anticipation.

As the patrons settled in, donning the complementary aprons for protection against splashing oil, the cooks set to work. This culminated in them setting the bowls of oil-laced meat, vegetables, and noodles ablaze, and the gathered customers were suitably impressed, Issei and Sona included. One reaction stood out to Issei; a delighted feminine laugh, followed by a brief clapping of the hands. It was exactly the reaction he would have expected from Asia, had she been present. He glanced in the direction of that reaction, his curiosity piqued.

The girl was breathtaking in her beauty. Golden hair styled into twin-drilltails framed lovely aristocratic features, and her dark-blue eyes were intelligent and lively. She wore an indigo dress that would not have been out of place amid Akihabara's EGL crowds, and clasped her hands together, watching intently as the cooks did their thing.

Flanking her were two other women, both attractive in their own way. (Something about the drilltailed girl stood out more to Issei, though.)

The first one was tall and athletic-looking, a few years older than the other girl. Her strawberry blonde hair was cut short and shaggy, with three crimson highlights worked into her bangs. She wore aviator sunglasses and a navy military-style baseball cap, along with an olive-drab commando sweater, khaki cargo pants, black high-top sneakers, and a grey windbreaker. Her body language suggested that she was a bodyguard of sorts to the younger woman.

The second was a lovely Japanese girl, also a few years older than the first blonde. Her dark hair was worn long and straight, and she herself wore a perfectly-arranged indigo houmongi with a golden bird pattern worked into it. Her body language towards the younger blonde was suggestive of an assistant or valet.

The first girl became aware that Issei was looking at her, and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" she said, her tone polite but with more than a little haughtiness.

Issei reddened slightly. "Sorry. Just… your laugh a minute ago. It reminded me of my sister."

"Oh." The girl was clearly nonplussed. Issei's answer seemed to have scotched any scathing reply. He'd settle for her polite confusion. "I see. Well… I suppose that's all right."

Sona glanced over, looking curious. "Issei-kun, who are you talking to…" She trailed off as recognition sparked in her eyes. "Ravel-san?"

"Eh?" It was "Ravel-san's" turn to be surprised by a familiar face. "Sona-san? What are you doing in Kyoto?"

Sona made a quick, subtle gesture. Issei recognized it as the invocation of a subtle "privacy field," one which would mask their conversation (and any discussion therein of supernatural matters) as mortal, mundane chatter. "My future sister-in-law is taking some tests, and we're having a lunch date." Sona gestured to Issei. "This is Hyoudou Issei-kun, my new Rook… and my fiance." She smiled slightly. "Issei-kun, this is Ravel Phenex."

"Nice to meet you," Issei said, bowing as best he could while seated.

"Ah! Nice to meet you, Issei-san." Ravel returned the bow with equal awkwardness. "I had heard that you were engaged now."

"Yes. I imagine certain people have made snide commentary," Sona replied dryly.

Ravel shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "People will do that. It's hardly their concern, anyway." She gestured to the women flanking her. "This is my brother's Rook, Isabela-san, and his other Bishop, Mihae-san." The other two women nodded their own greeting. "Mihae-san is from Kyoto, and she's being kind enough to show us around."

"Very kind, indeed," Sona agreed. "Have you seen much yet?"

"Not yet," Ravel admitted. Her cheeks were slightly pink. "I insisted on lingering at Nara Park."

"The deer are quite adorable," Mihae said in a reassuring tone. "I enjoy feeding them when I have the time."

"That's on our list," Issei told her. "But we wanted the 'Fire Ramen' first." As if on cue, Mihae took a quick, experimental bite, and nodded. For the next few minutes, all attention was on the freshly-served lunches. Issei and Sona had deliberately gone light on breakfast in order to make room for the Fire Ramen Set, and they made short work of it.

It was Ravel who resumed the thread of conversation. "Have you seen Rias-san lately, Sona-san?"

"I have, yes. We attend the same school," Sona answered. She briefly caught Issei's eye, and he nodded slightly. It was probably better not to share that Rias was in Kyoto as well. "She's doing well." She paused for a long moment, and then, in a carefully neutral tone, she asked, "And how is your brother?"

"He's… well. He's the same as always," Ravel answered, her tone equally careful in its neutrality. Mihae and Isabela exchanged uncomfortable glances, but said nothing to disagree.

Into the silence, Issei ventured carefully, "So, Mihae-san, you grew up in Kyoto?"

"Yes, I did." The Bishop seemed pleased at both the acknowledgement and the attempt to steer into safer conversational waters. "My family has lived in Nishijin for generations, and we own a half-stake in Kanei."

"The soba restaurant?" Issei perked up. "I've heard good things about it!"

"They're all true," Mihae answered, her body language relaxing. Out of the corner of his eye, Issei noticed Sona giving him an approving look. "Perhaps sometime we can meet again, and I'll take you there."

"That sounds wonderful," Ravel piped up. She, too, seemed quietly pleased to have changed topics.

The rest of their time in the restaurant was spent eating and making pleasant small talk. Finally, it was time to settle up, and the new acquaintances bade each other farewell.

"It was nice to see you again, Ravel-san," Sona said, and Issei nodded in agreement. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Kyoto."

"Thank you, Sona-san," Ravel replied, inclining her head politely. "It was nice to meet you, Issei-san. I hope you two have fun on your date."

"You guys, too. On your sightseeing, I mean," Issei said.

Ravel nodded, smiling slightly. "And you." Isabela and Mihae made their goodbyes as well, and the three of them stepped out of the restaurant.

Issei watched them leave, and looked at Sona. "She seemed nice enough. Are you _sure_ she's related to Riser?"

"Honestly, he's the odd one out in his family," Sona sighed. "Most of his relatives are polite and reasonable." She started to reach for her purse.

"Let me do it, just this once," Issei told her, blushing slightly, as he reached for his own wallet.

She smiled. "As you like, Issei-kun."

Once they themselves were back on the street, Issei suppressed a satisfied yawn. "That was even better than I expected," he said. "I mean, I expected it to be _good_ , but I had thought there'd be more focus on the spectacle instead of the food quality."

"I can see that," Sona mused. "But I don't think they'd get steady business if they skimped on the latter." She checked her phone, seemingly pleased at what she saw on the screen. "Where do you want to go next?"

"What do you have on your itinerary?" he asked, glancing at her phone as well. He'd been watching her update the list all week.

"A lot of stuff," she admitted. "None of it really time-critical." She tucked her phone away. "Hmm. Well, we're in the area, so… there's a coffee shop that does an unusual coffee drink…"

"I'm at your service, Sona-chan," he told her in a mock-formal tone, offering her his arm.

She grinned at him, a cheeky smile that few at their school would have believed possible. "I'll hold you to that." She took his arm, gently guiding him in the desired direction.

* * *

Vali was bored.

Oh, she supposed that, as cities went, Kyoto was pretty enough. But there wasn't really anything to grab her interest. Especially since Lavinia was busy with her magician stuff. And Lavinia probably wouldn't be happy with her getting into a tussle. (She was genuinely tempted. A lot of the men kept giving her appraising looks, and it was irritating.)

She felt her stomach growl softly, and rolled her eyes. Well, getting a snack probably wasn't a bad idea. She thought she'd seen a coffee shop back the way she'd came.

-xxxx-

"This isn't the kind of cloud I usually deal with," Issei joked as he looked at their drinks.

Sona snorted. "Not even magic could deal with the storage capacity here."

The two of them regarded their drinks. Part of Alpha Food and Drink's gimmick was the "sugar cloud" dangling over their coffee drinks. They were connected to the drinks by rain-like tendrils caused by the interaction of the steam and sugar; the resulting beverages looked like clouds were raining coffee into the cups.

"I guess you drink it like this…" he wondered aloud, scooting the cloud gently to one side and leaning down to sip. It was a bit of a pain, trying to balance the cup while keeping the cloud shoved to one side, but the drink was definitely sweet.

"Hang on," Sona said, looking around carefully. After a moment, she touched the cloud above her own drink, which turned watery-looking briefly, then scooted aside obediently. She nodded in satisfaction, then did the same with Issei's.

He brightened. "Thanks. That helps." He lifted the cup and took another, deeper drink.

She smiled. "Little things like that help me fine-tune my hydrokinesis. I'm sure you can try something similar with your pyrokinesis."

"Probably," he agreed, looking around the coffee shop. It was about half-full at this time of day, the lunch rush having long since dissipated. He started to turn back towards Sona, but he heard the sound of the front door's signal bell, and glanced towards it.

Issei had come a long way in self-control, even before he and Sona had fallen for each other. But that didn't mean he was _blind_ to a pretty girl, and this girl was definitely a knockout. She had garnet eyes and long silvery hair that was held in place by a simple black hairband, an oddly feminine touch that contrasted sharply with the rest of her outfit: a black-and-blue biker-esque leather jacket, a maroon work shirt, grey jeans, and black work boots. Her beautiful features were schooled into a distracted-yet-menacing expression.

He shrugged to himself. A beautiful girl walking into a restaurant was hardly front-page news. There was something about her, though, that kept him from completely looking away. He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out what it was.

Sona followed his gaze. Fortunately, she seemed more amused than anything else. "She's very pretty," she commented.

"Yeah, but that's not it," Issei said hurriedly, keeping his voice pitched so that only Sona could hear him. "There's something odd, and I can't quite figure out what."

She looked at his expression, and whatever she saw there was sufficient to convince her he was serious. "What do you think it is?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said, his tone slightly distracted. Now that he was thinking about it, there was something he recognized, some kind of scent, or underscent, that he'd experienced before… but he couldn't put his finger on it. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head. "It's not coming to me." He shrugged. "It's probably not important."

Sona glanced the girl's direction as well, her lips pursed in thought. "Maybe it'll come to you later," she said encouragingly.

"Yeah, maybe," he said, not convinced. "Oh, well." He took another long drink from the mug. "This is actually pretty good. Might be worth the occasional trip."

"Or simply learning to make it ourselves," Sona said with a wry smile.

As they spoke, the girl had approached the counter and placed an order. Once she was served, she strode past Issei and Sona's table, paused after a few steps, and turned to look thoughtfully at them.

Sona met her eyes, and asked politely, "Is something wrong?"

"No…" The girl blinked, narrowing her eyes slightly, and shook her head. "I'm sorry. Something felt… familiar about you two." Her nose twitched, and her eyes met Issei's. For a moment, they stared quizzically at each other, and then it was her turn to shrug. "It was my mistake. I'm sorry." With that, she continued carrying her drink and sandwich to her table.

Issei and Sona looked at each other, and all they could do was shrug as well.

* * *

Math had never been Asia's favorite subject. It wasn't that she was bad at it. The teachers in the convent, now… Piquing the students' interests had never been a priority for them.

These aptitude tests were different. They felt more like a curtain being drawn open, giving her light to see the room clearly instead of groping around in the dark. The path was becoming easy to follow.

And, as she followed that path, she began to notice something.

"Is anyone else feeling a breeze?" She asked in a half-distracted tone. Her eyes were still fixed on her test papers.

"A bit of one," Lavinia said amiably. "Not from the window, though. Look up."

Asia did, and her mouth fell open as she realized that a gentle breeze was surrounding her. More than that, it was dancing and capering around her like a trained animal.

"You're on the aerokinesis part of the testing, aren't you?" Lavinia's tone made it more of a statement than a question.

"Yes," Asia said, narrowing her eyes slightly. It took a little concentration, but the breeze disappeared, as if a switch had been thrown. "Is this how natural inclinations show themselves during the testing?"

"Usually," the Grauzauberer magician admitted. "I don't think there's any question about it, then."

"I agree," Rio said, giving Asia an admiring look. "Look at the flow of your aerokinesis. It moves with such grace. I'm not surprised; your aunt had some skill with it. It looks like yours is stronger, though."

Asia looked thoughtful at that.

"We're certainly off to a good start," Lavinia said enthusiastically. "Is there anything you'd like to focus on as part of your training?"

"Self-defense," Asia said promptly. "Or… being able to defend both myself and others." She inclined her head respectfully to Rias. "I think I'd do the most good for both myself and Rias-san if I could both heal and help defend her peerage." She hesitated, then added, "At the same time, though, I'd prefer not to hurt anyone more than I absolutely have to."

"The more versatile you are, the better off both of us are," Rias agreed.

"Very prudent of you." Lavinia thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Take the second book and turn to Chapter 3. The first spell there should be almost perfect for you."

Asia nodded, reaching for the second book in the stack. She flipped through it to the aforementioned chapter, and her eyes lit up with interest as she saw the spell. "This… yes. Yes, this is exactly what I wanted. How did…" She trailed off as Rio and Lavinia suddenly stiffened. Rias was looking at them in equal confusion, but her expression cleared after a moment. Come to think of it, she was starting to sense… something… happening. "What _is_ that?"

"Someone is straining the wards around the shop," Rio said tersely. "And this entire neighborhood has passive protections, too. So, for that strain to be detectable…" She gave Rias a sharp, albeit non-hostile, look. "How public was the knowledge that you and Sona-chan were coming to Kyoto with us?"

"We didn't advertise it, but we didn't really keep it hidden either," Rias replied, her expression chagrined. "You think I'm the target?"

"I don't know for sure, but I _do_ know that the House of Gremory has enemies," Rio answered. "And so does the House of Sitri." Her expression had gone slightly pale; no doubt, she was thinking of Issei and Sona being caught unawares. "We need to move, before anyone in the neighborhood is harmed."

Asia nodded, starting to rise, but the sliding wooden door suddenly imploded. She flinched backwards, then forced herself to rise. Rias was already gently chivvying her behind her, the ebon-limned scarlet of her mother's ancestral power starting to gather in her hands.

A dozen figures piled through, all of them in robes adorned with Devil iconography. The apparent leader, a beautiful woman with shoulder-length emerald hair and eyes that matched, sneered at Rias as she sauntered in. "Well, well. The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess, in a Kyoto Faction bolt-hole. What _are_ you up to?"

"Do I know you?" Rias answered back haughtily, before adding, "And do you really want to cause damage in a city we have no quarrel with?"

"The Houses of Gremory and Sitri, and the Four Great Satans, may have no quarrel with the Kyoto Faction," the woman answered. "The same doesn't go for the true heirs of Devilkind."

Rias sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes going cold. "'The true heirs…' You're the Old Satan Faction."

"Just so." The woman gave her a mocking bow. "I offer you a choice: come with us of your own volition, and we kill your friends painlessly. Resist, and my men have fun with them first." Her smirk turned into a leer, the ugliness of her intent tainting her natural beauty, and her cronies let out equally ugly chuckles.

"You really think it'll be that easy?" Rias retorted, the coolness of her tone carrying brief echoes of Sona.

"I do." Without warning, the woman blasted Rias with a bolt of blue-hued magenta light. She stumbled backwards, then patted herself down, surprised that she was unharmed. Snarling, she started to cast her Power of Destruction at the green-haired woman… and her jaw fell open as the House of Bael's ancestral power sputtered out.

"Perhaps you've heard of _my_ family's power. When used against an opponent I've studied, it can make even the Power of Destruction… _Worthless_ ," the woman chuckled.

"You're a Belial," Rias whispered. She continued to try to cast the Power of Destruction, but the demonic energy kept guttering out.

"Indeed. My version of it isn't perfect, but it will hold you long enough to finish my other business." The woman gave her another mocking bow, and turned towards Rio and Lavinia. "I'm feeling generous. If one of you is willing to volunteer as the entertainment, the other will die painlessly. So will the little blonde behind Rias Gremory." She smirked, clearly expecting the mere human magicians to capitulate with little more than angry bluster.

She wasn't prepared for Rio and Lavinia to exchange looks and chuckle.

"What's so funny?" she snapped, her surface blitheness disappearing.

"Shall I?" Lavinia offered.

Rio gave her a "go ahead" gesture. "Please."

"Very gracious of you," Lavinia replied, and shifted her gaze towards the Belial woman. Even though Asia wasn't in a position to see her new mentor's expression, she shuddered at the power and confidence in her voice. "You've made a big mistake. _Absolute Demise!_ "

The Belial woman's mouth fell open, but before she could speak, a three-meter-tall figure comprised entirely of ice appeared in the room. The figure was in the form of a roughly humanoid doll, wearing a frilly dress and sporting four arms. Its face was completely inhuman, lacking a nose or mouth; in their place were six eyes on the face's left side, and a field of thorn-like spikes covering the right side. Already, the temperature in the room had plummeted, and Asia was feeling uncomfortably chilly.

"The Eternal Ice Princess," the Belial woman whispered, her expression hesitant. With visible effort, she forced her expression back to confidence. "A-a neat trick. But you're fooling yourself if you think that'll be sufficient to stop me."

"What makes you think you matter?" Lavinia asked conversationally. "Demise-chan, cool their heels, please." The mammoth ice-doll bowed and rumbled, and the entire room turned to ice, the walls and floor instantly coating over, and the temperature dropped to hypothermia-causing levels. Only the patch of floor around Lavinia, Rio, Rias, and Asia was left unaffected. Cries of pain were suddenly heard behind the Belial woman, as her teammates proved themselves slow to react, and the ice shot upwards, congealing around them, leaving them immobilized save for their mouths and noses. A few tried to jump or take to the air, but Lavinia's eyes narrowed, and razor-sharp icicles shot upwards instead, impaling them.

"W-wait…" The Belial woman protested, casting her Worthless ability at the frigid Longinus.

There was zero apparent effect.

"Have you ever studied a Longinus before, miss? Or the bearer of one?" Lavinia asked, a tone of genteel mockery in her voice.

"Lavinia-san. Let me finish this." Rio's voice was chilly, a contrast to the azure flames suddenly surrounding her body. She loosened Ame-no-Ohabari in its scabbard with a well-practiced thumb-flick.

"W-wait…" The Belial woman stumbled backwards, falling ass over teakettle across the ice. She pointed a shaky finger at Rio. "No one told me anything about a pyrokinetic, or… wait, is that a Holy Sword _too_?" Her tone, remarkably, was less scared than put-out; she sounded almost like she were going to accuse Lavinia and Rio of "cheating."

"I suppose you didn't study me, either," Rio said, her eyes narrowed. She strode across the floor, Lavinia clearing her path of ice as she walked, and the Belial woman continued trying to scrabble her way backwards. "I'm tired of idiots like you putting my family and friends in your sights."

"I-I'll back off," the Belial woman offered, trying to claw her way towards the door.

"No. You won't." Rio's voice could have come from a sepulchre. She paused, as if to draw a breath, then lunged, her Holy Sword ringing out like a clarion as she executed a perfect iaijutsu draw, her azure flames blooming around its cutting edge as she did so.

The Belial woman didn't even have time to scream. The dull _thunk_ as her severed head hit the ice was almost anticlimactic.

-xxxx-

"I never expected any of this," Asia admitted. She gestured to the imprisoned Devils in the ice, grimacing. She regretted the fact that they were suffering. But she didn't regret that she was still alive, or that her mother and friends were.

They had made their own choices, they had struck the first blow.

At least they would live for the Kyoto Faction to mete out justice. Lavinia had assured her that, between her magical mastery and that of Absolute Demise, they could be maintained in that state for as long as she liked.

"I understand." Lavinia patted her arm. "Sometimes, that's the way Lady Luck dances." She had "dismissed" Absolute Demise back to wherever she kept it "stored." "Go ahead and try out that spell now. We may need it while we're on the move."

The former nun gave Lavinia a wan smile. She inhaled, let out half the breath, and concentrated. It was the same every time, Lavinia had said. That was the beauty of being a magician, she had said: the equations held true each time, just like a finely-crafted machine.

She ran through them in her mind, an action becoming easier with each repetition, and finished exhaling. There was a rush of air around her as a teal magical circle flared to life around her, and she gritted her teeth as a breeze suddenly skirled upwards, threatening to push up her dress. That sensation passed almost immediately, and was replaced by visible air distortion around her hands and arms. She could sense the aerokinesis at work, ready - nay, eager! - to be manipulated as she commanded.

She narrowed her eyes, and the air distortion shaped itself into a translucent longbow. She leveled it, "nocking" an arrow comprised entirely of air distortion.

"Very good, Asia," Rio said approvingly. Her family's pyrokinesis cloaked her like a blue-white aura, but she had returned Ame-no-Ohabari to its scabbard. "I've alerted my friends in the Kyoto Faction, and they're sending people to make sure the neighborhood and the shrine are safe, but we should probably give them a hand."

"Very good indeed," Lavinia agreed. "You'll find Gale Arrow to be almost perfect for you." The senior magician gathered the testing materials, shoving them into some kind of pocket dimension. "You're right about leaving, though. If they've tried striking here, heaven only knows what they're doing to the rest of the city."

"We had better move before they strike here again," Rias agreed. The Belial woman's death had restored her Power of Destruction. Now, it wreathed her hands, scarlet limned with black, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. "The longer we stay, the more danger the people here will be in."

Rio nodded sharply. "Let's move. Asia, stick close to Lavinia-san. Rias-san, I would appreciate you taking point. I will bring up the rear." The younger women nodded, apparently grateful for the presence of an older, wiser figure.

After a moment to arrange themselves, the four women left the frigid wreckage of the practice room. The only sound inside was the faintly-audible breathing of the captives.

* * *

"Any word on the strike against Rias Gremory?"

"None yet. Sihnon Belial said she would be running under communications silence until she'd been dealt with."

"Understood. Strike Team Two?"

"We have eyes on Sona Sitri and her fiance."

"Strike at your first opportunity. If you can actually capture or kill them, that's desirable, but sowing chaos is the primary goal."

-xxxx-

Afterwards, Issei was never able to explicitly define what made him react. A glint of light against the window, the brief flash of light from a magical energy bolt, Sona's or the silver-haired girl's eyes widening slightly. He was too busy reacting, pushing Sona to the ground and yelling "Get _down_!" as the windows and glass doors exploded inward, blackish-purple streaks of light snarling through the empty frames at their heads. Even at that, Issei had almost been too late, and he hissed as he and Sona were peppered with broken glass.

Everyone in the cafe was reacting similarly. Even Miss Silver had hit the deck, although her face didn't share the same terror-stricken or shocked expressions of the other customers. No, it was more a poorly-suppressed, slightly-manic smile. Like someone had just given her the excuse she'd been wanting to slap them silly -

The minute the first Devil entered the cafe, smirking and a magical circle turning lazily in front of him, she surged to her feet, screaming. Her fist slid up under the magical circle, connecting with his jaw at full force. The _crack_ as his jaw shattered could be heard throughout the restaurant. As he reeled backwards in agony, she spun-kicked his temple with enough force to snap his neck. He sank bonelessly to the ground, face frozen in a rictus of pain.

She spun to face the next Devil, just in time to see a blue-white explosion take his head off. Blinking, she whirled around to see Issei, his face radiating quiet rage, both hands shaped into finger-guns and wreathed in blue fire. He "fired" his left hand, and the Devil who had just entered was blown back through the door, his torso a bloodied and scorched mass. There were others appearing outside the cafe, murder in their eyes, but they were suddenly sent flying by a massive serpent comprised entirely of boiling water. The hydrokinetic manifestation slammed into them again, and again, until they lay still in the street, steam wafting off of their half-boiled figures. It then surged into the sky and dissipated with a thunderclap, subjecting the neighborhood to a brief-but-violent downpour.

"Nice save," Issei said softly to Sona. She gave him a slight, wry smile, letting the magical circle around her hands wink out, and stepped over to the counter. The manager was huddled miserably, looking like he was on the verge of a stroke. "Do you have an office here?" she said firmly, an undeniable note of command in her voice.

The manager bobbed his head in agreement, looking terrified.

"Take everyone here and hide in there," she said. "In ten minutes, call the police."

"R-right!" the manager squeaked, and rose to his feet, starting to gather the other employees and patrons. Once they were out of sight, Sona turned back to Issei. "We need to get moving, before they attack again and put anyone else at risk."

Issei nodded firmly. "Wonder what the hell is going on…" They heard the sound of a throat being cleared, and looked back at the silver-haired girl, who was staring at them in surprise. "You're not normal humans," she stated rather than asked.

"You don't seem to be either." Sona replied, cocking her head.

"No, I'm not," Miss Silver replied, clearly in no hurry to elaborate. She looked at Issei again, her expression an odd mirror of his earlier, speculative one. "There _is_ something oddly familiar about you. I don't believe we've met before, though." Her nostrils flared again, as if trying to place a half-remembered smell, and the pieces fell into place for Issei.

"I get it," he said, surprised. "I know what it is about you."

"I think it's best we discuss this as we move," Sona urged.

Issei nodded, and half-ushered Sona to the door. Halfway through the doorway, he turned back towards Miss Silver. "You coming?"

The silver-haired girl quirked an eyebrow upward in bemusement, but followed them.

"So what is it about me?" she asked. Sona also looked curious, although it was a more distracted curiosity as she swept the streets with her eyes.

"You smell like a dragon," Issei said bluntly, and both girls looked at him in surprise. He pushed ahead with his explanation as they walked, looking more at Sona than at the silver-haired girl. "It's something I only realized recently. Tou-san and Saji, their scents are completely different, but at the same time, there's some kind of underlying similarity. Less in the actual scent, more like… I have a hard time explaining it. I'm picking up that same kind of underlying… spiritual scent, I guess? Anyway, that's what I'm getting from her."

"But Saji-kun isn't a dragon," Sona pointed out. "Are you saying that dragons and people with draconic Sacred Gears smell the same to you?"

"That's what it looks like. Or smells like, I guess," Issei said with a sharp nod. He glanced back at the silver-haired girl and said, "I'm Hyoudou Issei, by the way."

"And I'm Sona Sitri," Sona chimed in. She grimaced. "I have a suspicion that those assassins were after me."

"Nice to meet you, Hyoudou Issei. My name is Vali." She gave Issei a sharp nod, and then offered the same to Sona. "And nice to meet you as well, Sona Sitri." She shrugged. "For the moment, I'll say that you're right about it being a Sacred Gear."

Sona nodded, her expression dubious. "We'll accept that. For the moment, anyway." She put a soft but unmistakable emphasis on the last four words, and Vali responded with a curt nod.

"Where to, Sona-chan?" Issei asked tersely, blue fire still wreathing his hands. He swept his finger-guns back and forth as they moved, looking suspiciously at everything that wasn't the three of them. "If they have you targeted, they might have Rias-sempai in their sights. And that means kaa-san and Asia in the crossfire, and anyone else around them."

"I'll check in with Rias." Sona was already summoning a communications circle. "Rias," she said crisply. "Are you all right?"

"More or less, yes," Rias replied, her voice slightly overcontrolled. "Are you two okay? I'm guessing you got attacked too."

"We did. We took care of them and we're on the move," Sona answered tersely. "I suspect you and I were the targets."

"I think you're right, " Rias answered. "We have things under control at the moment, and we'll be heading out as soon as we've helped secure the neighborhood. Lavinia-san is coming with us; I believe she has a friend in Kyoto that she wants to meet up with."

Vali's brows knit, a reaction that was not lost on either Issei or Sona.

"Get some information on her friend, then," Sona recommended. "Shall we meet up, or stay separated?"

"I'll contact you when we have a location, and decide from there." Rias paused, and then added, "I'm putting Rio-san on."

A moment later, Issei heard his mother's voice through the communications circle. "Issei?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he replied. "You and Asia are okay, right, kaa-san?"

"Yes, we're fine. Asia's a bit shaken, but she's holding up well." Her tone was concerned. "You two are all right?"

"Yeah. We're on the move too, with someone else who got caught in the crossfire."

"I see." Rio's voice relaxed somewhat. "We'll keep you posted. I need to speak to Yasaka-san. Even if it's Rias-san and Sona-chan being specifically targeted, these idiots aren't exactly being neat about it."

"No, they aren't," Sona agreed. "Which means that either whoever planned this is being very sloppy, or that collateral damage is part of the point. We'll speak again soon… take care."

Issei barely heard his mother's farewell. He was too busy biting his lip, trying to fight down the abrupt spike of rage. Bastards trying to kill his _wife_ , his _family_ , not caring who else gets hurt in the process -

"Anata. Focus." Sona's calm tone hit his fiery anger like a bucket of water. He blinked, his eyes shifting to meet hers, and she was already wearing her King's face. "I don't blame you for being angry right now, but random destruction just puts us on their level. Keep your head clear."

Issei nodded jerkily, his shoulders relaxing slightly.

Vali looked back and forth between them, and shook her head. "What the hell. Your sister was my friend's appointment."

Both of them looked at her. "You know Lavinia-san?" Issei asked warily.

"Yeah. We both work for Grigori. I guess there's no point in hiding it, then, and you two _did_ save me. So, I guess I can trust you. If it's all right, I think I'll stick with you two until you find Lavinia."

Issei and Sona exchanged glances again, and the latter nodded. "That's acceptable. Do you mind if I ask what your Sacred Gear is?"

"I do, actually," Vali replied coolly. "If the day continues the way it has, I think you'll find out soon enough."

"Are draconic Sacred Gears that rare?" Issei wondered aloud.

"Yes," Sona and Vali answered simultaneously. Vali gave the Sitri heiress a "go ahead" gesture, and she continued. "If a Sacred Gear has something's spirit inside, it's generally something powerful. And there are only a few that have been outright confirmed to hold a dragon's spirit. Remember when you called true Holy Swords 'a WMD in sword form?' Draconic Sacred Gears are similar. Two of the known examples are Longinuses, after all…" She looked like she wanted to add something, but clearly thought better of it. "We'd better keep moving. The further away from the temples, the better."

"Nara, maybe?" Issei suggested. "Maybe the deer park? I can't think of any reason they'd strike _that_ place. We might be able to catch our breath."

Sona considered that for a moment, and nodded. "I don't see the harm in trying it."

Vali shrugged. "Works for me."

Sona concentrated, manifesting a teleportation circle, and the three of them disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

"...I think I may have miscalculated," Issei admitted.

"Just a skosh," Vali agreed in a sardonic tone, making a "just a tiny bit" gesture with her thumb and index finger.

"Well, I agreed with it, so…" Sona said philosophically.

Issei had been wrong about the deer park being exempt from the rampage. Already, they could see smoke and flames throughout the park, and hear screaming. He ground his teeth. It was bad enough his family and friends were being targeted. But all these other people were getting hurt for no good reason. That spike of rage from earlier began to rise again, and he took a deep breath, trying to keep it under control.

He felt Sona's hand on his arm, and looked at her face. Her expression mingled support and calm, and he nodded quietly in thanks. "Okay, I think I'm under control."

"Good," Sona said softly.

"Hey." Vali hooked a thumb over her shoulder, indicating a thick stand of trees. "I'm hearing a _lot_ of commotion over there. Seems as good a place as any to start."

Issei cocked his head, listening. Vali was right; a lot of the most active noise and yelling _was_ coming from over there, and there was a myriad of scents… That direction _definitely_ bore investigation.

"Let's go," Sona agreed.

The three of them charged through the trees, emerging onto one of the large fields of grass where the Sika deer roamed. Sadly, there were a number of deer present who would never mug for treats again. From the looks of the corpses, their deaths hadn't been swift or merciful.

Issei ground his teeth, shaping his hands into finger-guns. His flames sparked to life again, but this time stayed under control, around his hands and forearms.

"Those responsible will pay, Issei-kun," Sona told him softly. She didn't look much happier; Issei knew she'd been looking forward to visiting the deer.

The source of the noises and voices made itself apparent. A score of the surviving deer were huddled behind a young woman in miko robes, with a half-dozen battered men and women beside her. They were half-encircled by two dozen Devils, wearing robes emblazoned with garish Devil iconography. From the way Sona - and Vali - stiffened at the sight, Issei suspected the sigils meant nothing good.

"I don't think they're gonna be able to handle them," Issei said softly. Fire was flickering around the miko's hands and forearms, but she seemed unable to sustain it. In fact, both she and her companions, upon closer examination, looked exhausted.

"I agree," Sona replied. "We'll help them. Ethics aside, this is a good chance to link up with the local youkai."

Vali shrugged. "I'm good with that. Let's not overthink it, though. Those assholes look like they're ready to kill."

Sona nodded. "Issei-kun, I'm going to draw their attention, and I want you to focus your fire on their spokesman…"

-xxxx-

"Stop it!" The young miko was cute as a button, with honey-gold eyes and matching hair drawn back into a shaggy ponytail. Despite her diminutive stature, her expression and her voice were rock-steady, with an unmistakable note of command. "You have no right to disturb this place of peace, or kill these people and animals! Leave now, or face the consequences!"

The apparent leader smirked at her. He was muscular and husky, with a fully-shaved head and a neatly-trimmed goatee. He wasn't unhandsome, but the sheer haughtiness in his expression robbed his good looks of their effectiveness. He turned towards one of the deer still roaming unmolested and snapped off a bolt of demonic energy. The unassuming herbivore's head exploded like an overripe fruit, its body dropping to the ground. He turned back to the tiny blonde. "Talk's cheap if you can't back it up," he replied. "And you're all out of fire now, kitsune-chan. But you do have something you can offer me." His eyes flicked up and down her body in a lascivious fashion.

"Are you sure about this, Kalain?" The question came from the female Devil to his right, a comely woman with an ouroboros tattoo on her left cheek and her lavender hair worn in a complicated series of braids. "Shalba-sama said nothing about prisoners other than…"

"Prisoners other than who?" Sona's voice rang out, carrying a tone of amused sardony. She stepped into view, one hand resting languidly on her purse. Her expression was one of polite boredom. (Issei was fidgeting from where he was concealed in the treeline. He _did_ have a good line-of-sight on the leader, and he was _really_ ready to kill him after what he'd done to the deer, and the way he'd leered at the girl. Vali had excused herself momentarily, informing them that she had "a surprise" in store for them.)

"Sona Sitri." The leader's voice dripped with contempt. "The mousy bookworm reveals herself. Do you recognize me?"

"Kalain Beleth," Sona replied. "Don't you have a family business to be embezzling from?"

Kalain's expression reddened, but he laughed her reply off. "Don't talk to me about betrayed trust. Shrews like you should be grateful when someone like me pays them any attention." He adopted a mock-thoughtful expression. "I suppose we should add 'whore' to that list of adjectives, shouldn't we? Is it true you've stooped so low as to bed some reincarnated trash?" (Issei nearly pulled the trigger right then. Only the fact that Sona was still in his line of fire stopped him.)

"Yes, my _fiance_ is a reincarnate," Sona answered casually, putting a slight but unmistakable emphasis on the word "fiance." "And he's ten times the man that _you_ are." She gave him a head-to-toe sweeping gaze, and curled her lip contemptuously.

Kalain's face turned purple at the unspoken implication. With a barely-controlled voice, he bit out, "And where _is_ this fiance of yours?"

"Killing you," Sona replied, her tone suddenly cold, and stepped to the side. The moment she spoke the last word, Issei started sending _Rekka-dan_ s downrange, aimed squarely at Kalain.

Kalain actually managed to scramble backwards enough to rob the first firebolt of its full power. The next one caught him around his feet, though, mangling them into smoking meat and knocking him to the ground. The next one put him out of his misery, but Issei didn't stop firing until his body had been reduced to ashes.

Sona raised both eyebrows at that. Her expression showed no disapproval, though, and she turned towards the other Devils, summoning magical circles around her hands. Those began to writhe and swish with manifested, blue-green water, waiting for her to shape them to her will. "You've just seen the barest hint of my fiance's abilities. I recommend you surrender now, before he gets _really_ angry."

Issei tensed, sighting on the woman who'd been next to Kalain. That seemed the likeliest candidate for a second-in-command. He'd like to think they'd be smart enough to surrender, but he'd encountered too many people in the supernatural world already whose gut response was to double down.

He wasn't disappointed.

The woman raised a hand, and purple-limned demonic energy flared around her like an aura. "Kill the bitch!" she shouted. The other Devils surged at Sona with demonically-enhanced fists and bolts of magical energy. The Sitri heiress responded by shaping her hydrokinesis into a massive, meter-thick bubble, surrounding her, the miko, her friends, and the deer like a massive forcefield. The attacks rebounded from the water-shield.

Issei cursed and surged forward, closing his hands into fists. He was pretty sure he could take at least half those jerks, but the woman with that purple light worried him. And he'd never seen Sona manifest a water-shield that big, or that thick. He wasn't sure how long she'd be able to sustain it. This was gonna be dicey -

"Got room for one more in this party?" Vali's voice rang out from above, somehow amplified and rendered slightly vibrato. All eyes snapped to the sky. Above them hovered a figure in what looked like shining white power armor dotted with gleaming blue jewels. Extended from its back were two stubby white wing roots, with glowing wings of blue light extending from them.

The gleaming armored figure landed in front of Sona's water-shield, the magical attacks careening off of it and leaving little more than scuff marks.

"This isn't even a light workout," Vali commented. "But I suppose it's best to extinguish the fire while it's small." The armor shimmered oddly in the springtime afternoon light, and a voice boomed out. " **Divide! Divide!** _ **Divide**_ **!"**

The Devils cried out in shock, seeing their powers and attacks first weaken, then gutter out completely. Even their leader was dismayed to see the purple light flicker out. Issei could almost _feel_ the momentum shifting.

"That's - no!" the woman cried out in anger and disappointment. "That's the Hakuryuukou!"

"Haku - then that's..." Issei trailed off.

"Divine Dividing." Sona nodded, looking unsurprised. "You mentioned draconic Sacred Gears, Issei-kun. This was the logical conclusion."

Issei nodded. Somehow, he wasn't surprised either. He abruptly realized that Kalain's apparent successor was still in shock, and he hurled himself at her, driving a flame-wreathed fist into her solar plexus with all the Rook might he could muster. That, combined with the concussive and explosive force of his family's pyrokinesis, blew the Devil backwards, her torso all but split in two. As she landed, her head lolled at a very uncomfortable-looking angle.

Issei cracked his knuckles, his blue-white flames still dancing around his hands and forearms, and threw himself into the fray. Six of the other Devils were on the ground, incapacitated or outright dead, before the rest started reacting, but that did little to slow him down. Vali landed, and started taking out the others with offhand ease.

Five minutes later, Nara Park was clear of hostile Devils.

-xxxx-

"Are you all right?" Sona asked the young girl.

The young miko nodded solemnly. "I'm just bruised. Please, see to my companions and the deer first…"

"Certainly. If you'll be so kind as to gather them here, I'll take care of everyone at once." As the miko gathered everyone, Sona gave Vali a good-naturedly sardonic look. "You do realize that we'd already guessed who you were."

" _She_ had," Issei corrected. "I'm still learning about Sacred Gears."

"And I hope you realize that I don't like to advertise the fact," Vali shot back, her voice just a little testy. "I'm not afraid of a fight, but endless grudge matches against people who are no match for me? There's no challenge in that."

"Well, thanks for the assist there," Issei said. "That made cleanup really easy."

Vali nodded. It was probably the way the light was filtering through the trees, but for a moment, she seemed to have turned slightly red. "Well, it was the quickest way to end the fight. You two would have probably been fine without me. It just seemed the efficient thing to do."

"Of course," Sona replied politely. She saw that the miko had gathered… well, quite a few people and animals, and smiled ruefully as she began the magical healing. "You were quite busy…"

"Kunou," the miko answered, offering a grave nod. "My name is Kunou."

Sona returned the nod, then hesitated. "Kunou… is your mother Yasaka-sama?"

The miko looked slightly pained. "Yes, she is. Please don't make a big deal about it." She looked embarrassed, then added. "And you needn't be overly formal with me. Not after the three of you saved us, as well as the park."

"As you say, Kunou-san," Sona agreed, then gestured to Issei and Vali. "My name is Sona Sitri. This is my fiance, Hyoudou Issei-kun, and our…" She paused, then continued, "…our friend Vali."

"Pleased to meet you three," Kunou said. "I'm grateful that you three were in Nara today." She grimaced. "I wish you had brought other friends to the rest of the city, though."

"I've heard the name 'Yasaka' before," Issei said thoughtfully. "And not in reference to the shrine, either." He looked questioningly at Sona and Kunou.

"Yasaka - my mother - is the leader of the Kyoto Faction," Kunou replied, restrained pride in her voice.

Issei looked suitably impressed. "Nice. I wonder if my mother knows her."

"Who's your mother?" Kunou asked curiously.

Sona couldn't help a slight smile. "Issei-kun's mother is the Aoikaji-hime."

Kunou's eyes widened. "Aoikaji - ?! I see, the blue-white flames you were using… yes, okaa-sama knows her. I've even met her, but that was a very long time ago…"

"Maybe that'll help us coordinate things," Vali interjected. Her tone was one of restrained impatience. "No offense, but we know of at least three places around Kyoto that have been attacked, all of them by Devils, and when they're walking around with _those_ symbols…"

"Yes," Sona agreed dourly. "The Old Satan Faction."

"You and sempai have mentioned them in passing before," Issei observed. "The archrivals of the Maou, or something similar?"

"Yes, but more than that," Sona explained. "They're the Maou's predecessors, and philosophical adversaries. All the stories about Devils being evil and cruel, those have a basis on fact, but we strive to move past that as a people. They want to drag us back into that muck." She made a moue of disgust. "They actually want to shift the conflict with the Angels and Fallen Angels back to open warfare. They actually think they can win, and rule the world. Or what's left of it."

Issei's eyes widened. "That's… that's insane."

"Yes. They are," Sona told him. "They also hate the Evil Piece system and reincarnated Devils. According to them, all of you insult them simply by existing."

"They never let you forget that, either," Vali chimed in, her voice carrying a surprising amount of bitterness. When Sona and Issei turned to her in surprise, she shook her head hard. "I'm part Devil myself. You've probably guessed that already. My family… well, they buy into the OSF party line. Grigori looked pretty damned good to me after that."

"I'm sorry," Issei said sincerely. "I can't imagine what that must have been like."

"You're lucky for that," Vali told him. Her expression was stony, but at the same time, there was something almost brittle about it. She cleared her throat. "Now what?"

"I hesitate to ask this, after you've saved us," Kunou said diffidently, "But my people and I could use your assistance in driving the OSF out of Kyoto. As Vali-san said, they're attacking the city in force, and not being careful about minimizing damage."

"Issei-kun and I will help," Sona said promptly.

Issei nodded firmly. "My mom and sister are in Kyoto right now. They're probably helping out, too. I couldn't just leave them."

"Yeah. I have a friend in the city, too," Vali said, her voice still slightly rough. "These assholes just made my shit list."

"I'm grateful," Kunou said, nearly sagging in relief. "I believe we can secure the park without further trouble, and then we can return to the city proper." She sighed, shaking her head. "This has been a terrible day, but at least you three were able to help here. Perhaps fate isn't entirely cruel."

"I don't believe in fate," Vali stated. "Not the way most people do, anyway. The weight of a person's circumstances, the shape that their view of the world has taken as a result… _that's_ fate. Not some nebulous force deciding everyone's path before they're even born." She smirked slightly, and for some reason, the sight of it sent an odd thrill down Issei's spine. "And fate can be defied."

"Well, then," Issei said slowly. An unexpected hint of vanilla was in the air, and damned if he could figure out where it was coming from. "Let's go throw fate in these jerks' faces."

Sona smiled at him, nodding in agreement. "Let's."

* * *

There were many things Kuroka had half-expected from the quiet invitation to Kyoto. Finding it under attack by rogue Devils had not been one of them.

The first sign that something had been wrong was a familiar face. Branmer Shax had been a family friend of her late, unlamented master; Kuroka remembered him visiting the Naberius estate on more than one occasion. She also remembered his idea of "a good time," and the side-effects it had on servant girls. He was truly someone who would benefit the Underworld most by absenting himself from it.

What the hell was he doing in Kyoto? Shadowing him, and the people he was with (an oddity in of itself; Branmer tended to rub people the wrong way), seemed the thing to do. For several blocks, it went without incident, at least as far as Kuroka was concerned; he and his cronies seemed more interested in causing property damage and marring historic sites with graffiti in the form of obscene Devil iconography.

Unfortunately, at least one of them seemed to be nearly as talented at magic as Kuroka herself was. Eventually, he realized they were being followed, and cast an anti-illusion spell. Her illusion magic was momentarily forced down, and Branmer smiled that sick smile as he recognized her. "Kuroka."

"What the hell are you doing in Kyoto-nya?" Kuroka said sharply.

"Taking a holiday," the high-class Devil replied. "Hmm. You know, you could come with us. The Maou may still consider you a Stray, but my friends and I would be willing to make room for you… if you're willing to make room for us."

Kuroka fought off the urge to cringe at that sleazy innuendo. "Sorry, I think I'm a little old to be your type."

"I'll make an exception for you." Branmer lifted a lazy hand, and the score of Devils with him moved to surround her with equal laziness. All of them eyed her with haughty smirks, their expressions shot through with lustfulness. Kuroka felt a spike of irritation. She knew she was hot, but there were other things she was known for… It was amazing how people who should remember that seemed to forget.

She let out an irritated breath and summoned a score of her signature, octagonal magical circles, each one crackling with purple-limned lightning. She was going to _enjoy_ this.

* * *

"There's an update," the aide said urgently. "Ravel Phenex and two of her peerage-mates are in Kyoto. Observers have made visual confirmation."

"The Phenex daughter is in Kyoto?!" The three people exchanged looks. That was a golden opportunity. Despite her youth, Ravel Phenex was highly intelligent. It was widely expected that she would take over management of the house's business affairs when she came of age. The fact that she was the only daughter of the House of Phenex was an added benefit. They would be desperate to get her back, a desperation that could easily translate into a steady supply of Phoenix Tears. Or perhaps they could simply keep her, and force her to produce the tears herself…

Another three-way exchange of looks passed, and the woman nodded. "Capture her if possible."

-xxxx-

"I think we're being observed, Ravel-sama," Isabela said softly as they walked down the narrow street.

"Damn," Ravel sighed. She'd been feeling oddly twitchy for some time now, as if half-aware of someone watching her. She'd hoped it was paranoia. "Who do you think it is? Someone else from the peerage?"

"Probably not, Ravel-sama," Mihae explained, chagrin in her voice. "Whoever is observing us is trying to be discreet and subtle. And the three of us are the most discreet and subtle members of Riser-sama's peerage." She snorted and shook her head. "No, if it was someone from the peerage, it would probably be Shuriya ambling around in her Arabian Nights getup, or Ile and Nel threatening people with their chainsaws."

"Lovely." Ravel shook her head. "What do you think they want?"

"I wouldn't bet on it being anything good," Isabela said grimly. "I recommend that we teleport out. Not directly to the Underworld; they would anticipate that, and the power build-up for cross-dimension jumping can take time. But somewhere in the area, perhaps."

"Well, I _did_ want to visit Nara Park again…" Ravel let out a breath. "Brace yourselves, ladies. On three…"

"Someone's coming," Mihae blurted out. Indeed, a half-dozen men were moving towards them purposefully, having appeared right out of the shadows. At least two of them were armed, and the others had magical energies building up around them.

"Three!" Ravel shouted. Her magical potential had already been prodigious, and her Bishop piece only refined and amplified that. It was the work of a moment to shape a teleportation circle to Nara Park, and to suck herself, Isabela, and Mihae through it.

-xxxx-

"That should do it," Kunou said, a note of content finality in her voice. "Things are as cleaned up as can be expected right now. Thank you three for your help!"

"Of course," Sona said, nodding in quiet satisfaction. It had taken an hour, but Kunou's mother had managed to dredge up some reinforcements. The park had been confirmed to be OSF-free, and the question on her mind now was where to proceed next.

The distinctive light of a teleportation circle caught her eye. Her strategic analysis ground to a halt as she recognized the sigil embedded in it. "The House of Phenex… what in the world…" She held up a hand quickly. "Wait, I don't think that's the OSF."

Issei had immediately tensed and called up his pyrokinesis. He lowered his finger-guns, though his expression was still wary. "That has to be Ravel-san. Can't think of any reason for the rest of her family to be here."

"The House of Phenex, now?" Vali commented, her expression one of polite boredom. She had abandoned Balance Breaker, but Divine Dividing was still visible on her back, and she seemed prepared for a fight. Almost eager for one, Sona thought, and she wasn't sure whether that was a trait that all White Dragon Empresses shared, or if that was all her. She really needed to reread the texts on the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing. "She's probably got company, though."

"Indeed," Sona agreed sourly, and a score of magical circles appeared in front of her. Boiling water swirled around half of them, and silver-blue lightning crackled around the remainder.

The teleportation circle winked out, and Ravel, Isabela, and Mihae came stumbling out. Isabela reached out to grab the latter Bishop, keeping her from falling, and she shot the Rook a grateful look. Ravel had no trouble staying on her feet, but let out a long sigh as she relaxed her shoulders. It took her a moment to realize that she knew people who were present, and she looked incredulously at Issei and Sona. "What are you two doing here?"

"We were trying to dodge the Old Satan Faction," Issei said flatly. "It didn't take. How about you?"

"That must be who was shadowing us," Isabela mused.

"The Old Satan Faction?" Ravel repeated in disbelief. "What do _they_ want with Kyoto?"

"We believe they're targeting Rias and I, along with causing collateral damage to damage our Houses' alliance with Yasaka," Sona answered. "You were being followed, Ravel-san?"

"Yes, and we were nearly attacked by - " Ravel paused and made a deeply frustrated sound as another teleportation circle flared to life. "This was _supposed_ to be a quiet day for _sightseeing_ ," she complained to no one in particular. Golden flames erupted to life, cloaking her like an aura.

"And our date was ruined," Issei quipped. "I'd bill the OSF for damages if I thought they'd pay up."

Sona cleared her throat loudly, doing her best to suppress a chuckle. "Get ready. That's probably them now."

The first thing that Ravel's Old Satan Faction pursuers saw when they emerged was their quarry, incandescent in rage and shooting phoenix-fire at them. The two directly in her line-of-sight were disintegrated before they could even scream. The others scrambled to either side, and were unable to regain combat readiness before Issei, Sona, Vali, and the youkai had them surrounded.

Kunou gave them an imperious look. Despite her young age, she wore the mantle of authority well. "Your people have done enough damage to Kyoto. I'll give you one chance to surrender."

One of the Devils looked like he was about to protest, but the apparent leader smacked him hard upside the head. He cleared his throat. "We surrender." (The same would-be protester opened his mouth again, his face indignant, but he froze as he realized Issei had blue-white flames aimed at his head.)

Kunou eyed the leader imperiously for a long moment, then nodded curtly. "Takahiro-san?"

The leader of the youkai reinforcements, a grizzled-looking nekomata, stepped forward. "Your orders, Kunou-sama?"

"Have these prisoners secured and prepared for transport to someplace secure. My mother will want to have a chat with them." Her voice was cool, almost matter-of-fact, and somehow, that seemed to make the OSF prisoners more nervous than screaming would have.

Sona approved of Kunou's methodology.

The young kitsune turned back towards Sona and Issei. "It may be best if you head out now. If your suspicions about being the targets are true…"

"Then perhaps we'd best stay on the move for now," Sona agreed. "As soon as you see your mother, Kunou-san, please bring her up to speed on our side of things. We're willing to help push the OSF out of Kyoto, but under the circumstances, exactly _how_ helpful we can be is debatable."

"I understand. I thank you again for your help. Hopefully, I'll see you again when this is over." Kunou offered them a deep, respectful bow, and Issei, Sona, and Mihae returned it. After a moment, Vali did likewise, albeit awkwardly. Ravel curtseyed in response, and Isabela offered a polite nod as well.

Issei turned towards Sona, smiling wryly. "So where to next, since we're walking targets?"

"For now, we keep moving," Sona replied. This was _not_ how she wanted to spend her and Issei's weekend in Kyoto. She fully agreed with his snarky sentiment about billing the OSF for the aggravation. "That may be the best thing for the Kyoto Faction, if they're kept busy chasing us."

Issei nodded firmly. It was touching how readily he trusted her judgment. It would be good to hone his own strategic sense, though. _It's probably time to start playing chess again,_ she mused briefly.

"Makes sense to me," he said. "Maybe that'll keep them too busy to shoot the city up any more." He looked towards the others. "Safety in numbers, right?"

Vali shrugged. "Fine by me. Like I said earlier, these pricks are on my shit list, and the more of them I get to fight, the better."

Ravel eyed the silver-haired girl dubiously. She and her peerage-mates talked quietly for a moment, then she looked up and nodded. "I think you're correct about being a target, Sona-san, and I think they have me in their sights as well. Most likely, as the key to gaining a supply of Phoenix Tears."

"And those are?" Issei asked curiously.

"They're a potion that can heal virtually any injury," Sona explained. "Ravel-san's family controls their production."

"Phoenix Tears are the cornerstone of our wealth," Ravel agreed, a note of pride in her voice. "It's only natural that we keep them, and the secrets of their manufacture, under our control." She grimaced. "And, sadly, it's only natural that the OSF would see me as a golden opportunity."

"Well, stick with us, then," Issei offered. "Let's keep ruining their day. It's only fair after what they've done to ours."

Ravel's lips curled upward slightly. "Yes, it _is_ only fair, isn't it? With your permission, then."

"Of course." Sona chuckled inwardly. The OSF weren't the only ones to sense the advantages of a long-term, mutually-beneficial arrangement. "Let's head out, then."

* * *

They were never quite sure how word spread once they'd left Nara Park. But the moment they appeared in a quiet alley just off of Nishiki Market, they were attacked.

The attack was short but fierce, with nearly three dozen Devils or supernaturally-empowered figures laying into them immediately. Of course, the attackers hadn't anticipated how much anger would enhance the assaulted party's power. And, when the assaulted party was comprised of two scions of the 72 Pillars, a pyrokinetic dragon, an experienced Rook and Bishop, and the current generation's White Dragon Empress, the results were hardly unexpected.

It wasn't until their opponents were dead or unconscious, with magical restraints binding them, that Issei and his companions could really take in the scenery.

Issei had vague - very vague - memories of visiting Kyoto, and Nishiki Market, as a child. What he did remember was it the shopping district being busy and energetic, full of interesting sights and smells. That was a far cry from its current state; it was all but deserted now, with more than a few bodies collapsed in stalls or over counters, most of them showing signs of having been killed with supernatural power.

The scene made him sick and angry. Sona's expression was little happier, and even Vali looked displeased at the sight.

"Bastards." The short, sharp obscenity came from Isabela. His fellow Rook looked like she was ready to punch someone, and it took Mihae gently touching her arm to calm her.

"This is really bad, Sona-chan," Issei said tersely. "Should we call Sera-nee?"

"Let's keep that in our back pocket for now," Sona said. "It's not a matter of power… she has more than enough. But it's a matter of finesse, and she can sometimes be lacking in it when it comes to me - and you, now - being in danger." She shook her head. "Onee-sama is one of the four most powerful Devils alive. Using even a fraction of that power in anger would be enough to reduce Japan to a frozen wasteland."

"You're exaggerating, right?" Issei's tone showed that he didn't expect her to be, though, and he sighed as Sona shook her head.

"There's something else you may want to keep in mind," Ravel commented. As with everyone else in their impromptu war party, she looked disgusted at the innocent dead. "Both Serafall-sama and Sirzechs-sama are well-known for their protectiveness of their younger siblings. The OSF might expect them to be called in, and have something in mind for that." Both Issei and Sona gave the Bishop an incredulous look, and she raised a hand. "I know, it's hard to believe that that'd have someone - or some _thing_ \- capable of threatening a Maou. _I_ can hardly believe the thought. But can you rule it out completely?"

Sona let out an irritated breath. "...no. I can't. Powerful as onee-sama is, there are still a handful of figures in the world who are willing and able to threaten her. And even that handful is too many for my peace of mind."

Issei squeezed her arm. "Then we'll handle this. We, and kaa-san and Asia and sempai, and whatever allies we can find."

Sona nodded, and it was her turn to squeeze _his_ arm. "We can manage, Issei-kun. All of us have talents or powers. We're far from helpless."

"You're right." Issei clenched one fist, summoning his fire and examining its intensity. Still not back to full strength yet. He'd built up his endurance with it over the past month, but today had been way more strenuous than he'd expected. He let out a snort of resignation, and nodded. "Well, if we're gonna do this right, I'm gonna need ammunition."

Vali raised an eyebrow. "Ammunition?"

"My Sacred Gear lets me control ferrous objects, among other things," the Rook explained. "I've worked up a special attack that combines that with electrokinesis. I need small ferrous objects for ammunition, though."

Isabela looked up, surprised. "You mean, something like a railgun?"

"Yeah, pretty much the magical version of one." It was Issei's turn to look surprised. "You're familiar with them?"

"Isabela-san likes to read science fiction," Mihae said, her tone one of quiet fondness.

"It's a habit I picked up when I was in the service," Isabela explained. "I'd be very interested in seeing this attack, Issei-san."

"I'd be happy to, if I can find some nails or something." He glanced around the abandoned shopping arcade. "Does anyone see a hardware store?"

"I have an idea," Sona said.

-xxxx-

"You're kidding me," Issei said disbelievingly.

"They're ferrous, aren't they?" Sona pointed out.

Issei cast a baleful look at the package of hairpins, and tried to levitate them. They slid neatly off the rack and floated obediently in the air.

"I will _never_ hear the end of this if the rest of the peerage finds out," he said with a sigh, his cheeks pink. He plucked the package from midair, and grabbed every package off the rack. "What happens in Kyoto, stays in Kyoto, right?"

"I won't say a word," Sona said with a good-natured smirk.

"I make no such promises," Vali said dryly. Ravel was trying hard not to smile, and Isabela and Mihae weren't even trying.

"Hey, if there was an actual hardware store around…" Issei grumbled. The shopping arcade was all but deserted, but he left several ¥1,000 notes on the counter.

-xxxx-

Mihae had the idea to take a few minutes to catch their breath. She also suggested bolstering their strength with food from the deserted stalls. Sensible ideas, in of themselves, but the moment they ventured towards the food stalls, more Devils came out of the woodwork. It wasn't clear if they had been tracking or following them, or if it was just bad, stupid luck.

They weren't pulling their punches this time, either. The minute they realized Ravel was present as well, they began focusing their attacks on her. Isabela and Mihae immediately leapt to her aid, and Ravel gritted her teeth and refused to back down, but they'd come loaded for bear this time.

"I thought they wanted you for ransom!" Issei yelled. He leveled his finger-guns, unleashing another double _Rekka-dan_ , and grimaced as his flames sputtered and flickered afterwards. They hadn't had a chance to catch their breath, after all; his fire hadn't fully regenerated. "Normally you don't up you the person you're trying to take hostage!"

"I think they may have given up on taking me intact," Ravel called back, her tone wry. "Patience isn't one of their virtues, and I'd heal pretty much instantaneously from anything they did to me…" She unleashed her own pyrokinesis. If Issei's _Rekka-dan_ was like a heavy slug or artillery round, Ravel's phoenix-fire was like a flamethrower or beam cannon; she sustained the flame, sweeping it back and forth like an assault rifle. A snippet from a half-remembered American pop song flashed through Issei's mind:

 _That blonde, she's a bomb, she's an atom bomb_

 _Rigged up and ready to drop -_

Why was he suddenly smelling yakitori skewers? He shook it off and sent a _Rekka-dan_ at the next target.

Sona and Vali had pulled out the big guns. Another massive water-serpent had materialized, battering their assailants and blunting their attacks. Vali, meanwhile, had re-manifested her Balance Breaker around herself, and was literally punching Devils through the wall.

 _Well,_ Issei thought, _Now's as good a time as any to find out if these actually_ work _or not_.

"Railgun!" he snapped, leveling his hands with a flourish and mentally "firing." The electrokinesis wreathing his forearms responded, sending the hairpins surging forth at somewhere around Mach 5.5.

The effect wasn't quite as dramatic as the roofing nails would have been, but it was undeniable enough. The hapless Devils caught downrange dropped bonelessly to the ground, their torsos shredded to bloody ribbons and holed all the way through. The remains of the hairpins embedded themselves in the parking garage wall, leaving streaks of blood and sinew dribbling down the concrete. Even having been slowed by the thickness of Devil bodies, they left deep holes and spiderwebbing in the wall.

His friends paused for a moment, regarding the results. The first one to speak was Isabela, who had paused in mid-punch just long enough for her opponent to try and wriggle free. She cold-cocked him with offhand ease, and said in faint admiration, "I'll be damned. That actually worked."

"Yeah…" Issei regarded the bodies. He felt the typical, brief flash of guilt at taking a life, but it was more muted than usual. That likely had to do with the fact that these Devils had been actively trying to kill him and his friends.

"Hey!" Vali shouted, her tone urgent, and waved a hand at the other Devils. The OSF Devils were equally surprised by Issei's attack, though, and they snapped out of it mere seconds after Sona and the others did. That wasn't enough time to grab the upper hand, though, and they were quickly subdued.

Sona let out a sigh, and looked at Issei. There was no surprise in her expression as she gazed at him, just quiet pride that Issei had proven himself once again. "Let's go, anata. We need to be on the move."

Issei nodded sharply. "Yeah. Where to next, then?"

Vali had a communications circle manifested and rotating next to her right ear. "Lavinia, do you guys have a clear picture?"

* * *

"One moment, Vali. We're working on that right now." Lavinia glanced ahead, and nodded at Asia.

The younger blonde returned the nod, nocked her aerokinetic bow, and let fly with an "arrow" of distorted air, following it with six others. Each one arced high into the air. At the peak of its arc, each one split into a half-dozen smaller aerokinetic arrows, streaking downwards towards their targets with the concussive force of a piledriver. Their targets hit the ground, most of them now unconscious, and the rest so badly stunned that their lights might as well have been put out. Each arrow winked out of existence, leaving its target lit up with a faint pinkish glow. This last bit had been the result of adding another spell, one designed specifically for finding lost or abandoned things… or people.

"Well done," Lavinia said approvingly, and shifted her gaze towards Rio. "I think that does it for this area."

Rio nodded, her expression slightly distracted as she re-sheathed Ame-no-Ohabari. The past hour had been spent helping clear out the neighborhoods around Kiyomizu-dera. They were now preparing to teleport to the rendezvous site.

"So Yasaka-sama herself will be present at this?" Rias asked. Her Power of Destruction still limned her fists and forearms, although it was somewhat dimmer now; she'd been putting it to heavy use over the last hour.

"It sounds like it," Rio agreed. "She and her advisors will want to put this to rest as soon as possible."

"So is the shrine named for her, or is she named for the shrine?" Asia asked curiously.

"Probably the former, but I've never asked her precise age," Rio replied. She chuckled in wry amusement. "It's probably best that you don't, either."

"Duly noted." Rio caught Lavinia's eye, and the younger mage nodded. She manifested a teleportation circle, lined with Grauzauberer sigils, and the four women stepped into it. A moment later, they appeared in a quiet park in the Gion district. It appeared to be deserted. The four of them glanced around with narrowed eyes, leaning heavily on their supernatural sensitivity.

After a moment, the air shimmered as a concealment spell was dropped, and a dozen youkai revealed themselves, gathered around the mouth of a cave that hadn't been there a moment before. The four women were conducted politely into the cave, where several score youkai were present, many armed and all looking ready for a fight. In the center of the loose assemblage sat a gorgeous, well-endowed blonde woman dressed like a miko, with a white haori draped over her shoulders and a golden crown resting atop her brow. She sported fox ears and tails, and her body language radiated calm authority. She sat on a wide tatami mat, large enough to comfortably seat two dozen people, and stared down at an exquisitely-rendered - and magically self-updating, from the looks of it - map of Kyoto and its environs. A dozen senior youkai sat around the map with her, conferring quietly, and a cute blonde fox-girl stood beside her, looking pensive..

Rio bowed deeply, and her companions quickly followed suit. "Yasaka-sama," she said respectfully. "It's been a long time."

"Too long," Yasaka replied, looking up from the map. She inclined her head politely to the pyrokinetic mage. "You look well, my friend. You remember my Kunou, I trust." She gestured to the girl standing behind her.

"I do indeed," Rio replied, inclining her head to the younger kitsune. "It's good to see you again, Kunou-chan." She motioned to the young women with her. "This is my daughter, Asia. With us are Lavinia Reni of Grauzauberer, and Rias Gremory of the House of Gremory." She motioned to the younger women.

"Pleased to meet you all," Yasaka said, inclining her head slightly and prompting quiet replied in turn. She gave Rias a wry half-smile. "It seems some people aren't enthused about our arrangement, Rias-san."

Rias blushed. "I apologize for that. I should have anticipated this."

"I should have, too," Yasaka admitted. "If the OSF is fighting this hard to disabuse us of the idea, I'm inclined to back it even more firmly."

"So you've seen evidence that it's the OSF?" Lavinia asked curiously. "We had as well, but it's good to have confirmation."

Yasaka nodded. "A half-dozen reports confirmed it, including one from my daughter." She shifted her gaze towards Rio. "Apparently your son and his fiancee helped her drive them from Nara Park."

"Nishiki Market is cleared out now," Issei's voice spoke from the communication circle. His tone was one of quiet anger. "They did a lot of damage, killed a lot of people. There may be survivors, but we haven't had a chance to check…"

"Understood," Yasaka replied quickly, pitching her voice so that Issei could hear her properly. "We'll get a team there as quickly as we can."

"Are you okay?" Rio asked. Issei's tone worried her.

"Yeah. Or, I will be anyway," he said, the anger seeming to seep out of his voice. Quiet determination replaced it. "We need to finish this. _Now_."

Rio nodded. "Agreed. We just need to determine the next step."

Yasaka scratched her chin. "I've been thinking about that. I have an idea, but it needs a question answered first."

"Whether they have a base in the local area," Rio said immediately.

Lavinia looked thoughtful. "Theoretically, it's not necessary with teleportation magic. But that's a very energy-intensive type of magic, and difficult to obscure. Particularly when long distances, or cross-dimensional jumps, are involved. It would make sense for them to be staging out of someplace local."

Yasaka motioned to the map. "As you can see, we've been dealing with their incursion. We've managed to blunt or drive off most of their attacks, although not without cost, both to us and the city." She grimaced, clearly thinking of the loss of life. "I don't think we can really expect further attacks, not on a large scale, but I can't guarantee that."

"Do you have any leads on this notional base?" Rio asked.

Yasaka opened her mouth to reply, but there was a gentle throat-clearing. She turned to look at the ponytailed, ebon-haired beauty standing behind her. "You have something to share, Sumire-san?" she said dryly.

"I do, Yasaka-dono," Yaegashi Sumire said, offering Rio a polite bow. "An acquaintance of mine just checked in. She believes she's found the probable base."

"Very interesting. May I ask who this acquaintance is?"

"I believe she'd prefer not to have that shared right now."

Yasaka muttered something that sounded very like " _That_ figures." Sumire offered her a smartphone, and the Kyoto Faction leader accepted it, holding it to her ear and speaking softly to the person on the other end..

"Wonder what that's all about?" Rias wondered quietly.

"That's a good question," Rio replied. Something about her expression, though, suggested that she had an idea.

Yasaka finally hung up, handing the phone back to Sumire. "I think we have it. There's an old, mostly-abandoned middle school on the outskirts of southeastern Kyoto. Communications from the local minor kami confirm sightings of at least a dozen of the Devils we have captured. Those captives confirm it from their end, too."

"So your theory's correct, then," Asia said thoughtfully.

"It makes a certain amount of sense," Rio commented. "They've brought in a fair number of people, but not nearly enough to overrun the city, and they've clearly failed in the attempts against Sona-chan and Rias-san. They're operating on a limited budget, with limited numbers."

"We're moving onmyouji and priests into the area now," Yasaka explained. "They'll attempt to ward the school grounds against further cross-dimensional jumps." She grimaced. "It'll take a lot of power to do so, so you'll forgive me if I'm distracted for awhile."

"Naturally," Rio said, inclining her head respectfully. "With your permission, we'll head over with them, to help handle potential messes."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'd like you to stick around for now," Yasaka said. "In order to both defend the vital points in the city and stage an assault against the school, I've stripped my security down to below the minimum." She looked at Rio. "The presence of the Aoikaji-hime would go a long way to make up for that."

Rio smiled. "I'd be honored. Can I pass the base's location on to Issei and his friends? I think they'll want to help with that."

Yasaka nodded. "Please do."

* * *

Thank the kami for consistent personality traits, Kuroka thought.

Branmer had been stupid, as well as arrogant. His phone had been on his person, complete with chat and text logs, and GPS data. (He wasn't going to need his wallet anymore, either. Kuroka was going to treat herself to a nice steak or two later.)

The fight had been tougher than she'd expected. Not with Branmer; he had barely managed to get a surprised look on his face before she'd taken his head off. The Devils with him, though, they had been both ready and able to fight back. Especially that lithe little Balam; she hadn't expected his haymaker, and that had nearly spoiled the whole deal. Under other circumstances, she'd have smiled and called them worthy opponents. Today, she had just seen them as obstacles.

It was possible some of them had survived. She had been a little… profligate with her spell-slinging. It hadn't been a fight with precisely balanced attacks; it had been one to hit her opponents with the biggest metaphorical hammer available, and keep hammering until they were still. But they'd been quiet and still when she walked away, and that had been the important thing.

It had been easy to find where Branmer and his friends (if they could be called such) had been hanging out. The middle school in Kyoto's southeastern outskirts had been closed for nearly a decade. It had only been the lethargy of city politics that had kept it from being sold off. It would have been easy for the OSF to claim as a base of operations, and that was apparently what had been done.

Kuroka smiled to herself as she approached the school grounds. She could already sense the local youkai starting to form a perimeter around the campus. She could also see numerous Devils, in varying stages of disrepair and injury, falling back to the school. As for herself, she strode right in at a steady, ground-eating pace, her expression suffused with affronted rage.

Not that anyone present knew it was _her_ face. Currently, she wore the visage of Branmer Shax.

Illusion magic was such a beautiful thing, particularly when you were well acquainted with the owner of the false face you wore. When you were dead set on wiping out a group of murderous assholes, you needed every edge.

She'd save her magic for when she had as many Devils as possible within the blast radius.

* * *

"Well, we have the location of their base," Ravel mused. "So what do we do with it?"

"Call me obvious, but I think 'attack it' is a pretty solid option," Vali snarked. Somehow, Divine Dividing's Balance Breaker could retract its faceplate, and she'd done that very thing right now. It was odd how the magical power armor only made her look more beautiful, Issei thought, and then tried desperately to suppress the thought.

"It's a matter of _how_ , Vali-san," Ravel snarked back. She seemed to be on the verge of a pout. It was a really bad time for Issei to think about how cute that was. "The Kyoto Faction may be tightening the noose around it, but that's of limited help. If they have any sense at all, they've warded the site against any teleportation magic that they're not using, so we can't infiltrate _that_ way. A frontal assault would be foolish; even with all of our talents, chances are good that some or most of us would be injured in the process, and we have no idea what we'd encounter inside."

"A long-range attack with magic?" Mihae suggested. "Between the two of us, Sona-sama, and perhaps Issei-san, we could muster an appreciable amount of offensive magic."

"That has some merit," Sona said. "But they'd be foolish not to have anticipated that possibility, too. We'd have to really pour it on to overwhelm their defenses… and we'd have to do it from as long-range as possible. I'm game for that, if you two are."

"I have an idea." Everyone turned to look at Issei, who looked uncharacteristically diffident. "It's a silly idea," he said hurriedly, "but I think it'll help. I don't want to use my pyrokinesis. I want to use my Railgun attack."

"It's quite useful, even with those hairpins, but I don't think those will be of much use against their base," Ravel said.

"Larger ammo," he said. "I… this'll take a minute to explain. I've been working with one of our Bishops on improving my control with electrokinesis. I think I can use it in my dragon form, and if I can, that means I can use it with much bigger objects."

"Artillery-scale?" Sona asked. "Issei-kun, to get that kind of effect, you'd need I-beams or something similar. That's what you're thinking of?"

"Yeah." Issei nodded firmly. "As part of your long-range bombardment. Or maybe as a follow-up, get them thinking we've thrown everything at them, relax their guard…"

Silence returned, but this time it was thoughtful, creative silence. Sona broke it. "It would be even better if we'd collapsed their shield at least once. Get them to pour their remaining energy into putting up another one, knock that down, make them think we're exhausted too…" She snapped her fingers. "And _then_ you strike, Issei-kun."

"How do we get the shield down the first time, though?" Mihae asked.

"Divine Dividing, of course," Sona said easily. All eyes shifted towards Vali, who grinned. "What the hell. I've never used a magical shield as a punching bag before."

"This might actually work," Issei said thoughtfully.

"Well, we know they won't be expecting it," Vali commented. "Even if we're doing this from maximum range, though, you'll need someone to keep your back covered."

"I was hoping you'd be willing to do that," Issei answered.

Vali shrugged, glancing away. "Yeah. I can do that after the first shield goes down. It'll probably be the only action to get up in the sky, anyway."

"Unless JASDF patrols get curious," Mihae said wryly. "It's probably best if you don't punch any fighter planes out of the sky."

"...now _that_ sounds like fun," Vali said thoughtfully. "I wonder if that would even work…"

"Maybe another time," Issei said hurriedly. "Sona-chan, Ravel-san, Mihae-san, once your bombardments are done, I think I'll need help with this. Aiming and fine-tuning the electrokinesis, mostly."

"Of course," Sona said with a nod. Ravel nodded enthusiastically, and Mihae gave a graceful nod of her own.

"I'd better get down there," Vali said. Her lips were curled upwards slightly in a smirk. "I'll be real obnoxious about it, too. Leave them with no doubt about the situation they're in."

"Psychological warfare," Sona mused, and smiled slightly. "I like it."

"Now all we need are the I-beams," Isabela reminded them.

-xxxx-

"Your friends need _what_?!"

"A half-dozen steel I-beams," Kunou repeated, her own expression somewhat dubious. "Issei-san said something about using them as part of a long-range magical attack."

Yasaka raised both eyebrows, turning her gaze towards Rio and Rias. "Do you two know what he's talking about?"

"Yes," Rio assured her. "At least… I _think_ so. It's probably a scaled-up version of his electrokinesis-with-ferrous-ammunition attack."

"That seems likely," Rias agreed. "His normal version of the attack is fairly powerful. Suitably scaled-up, this could probably level a city block. Especially if it's being used together with Sona's magical expertise."

Yasaka rubbed her forehead. "Magical artillery. In _my_ city… even if it's being used to _save_ my city…" She sighed, nodding. "Kunou, tell Issei-kun we'll have them ready shortly. Also… tell him to be very, _very_ careful where he's aiming those things."

"Yes, okaa-sama."

-xxxx-

The I-beams were right where Kunou had said they'd be: neatly stacked in an abandoned parking lot several blocks away from the OSF base. The local youkai were already using the lot as a staging area for their containment operations, and had been effusive in their gratitude towards Issei and his friends for helping Kunou retake Nara Park.

Getting them off the ground had been… interesting. I-beams were easy enough for Devils to lift, but doing so with multiple, and maneuvering in the air with them, gave new meaning to "awkward." In the end, Issei had to actually assume his dragon form and use Unknown Dictator to "glue" the I-beams to his side. Even that made gaining altitude extremely tricky, and Isabela hovered close in case he began faltering.

"That Sacred Gear of yours is pretty handy," the other Rook noted. "I'm impressed you're managing to get airborne with those."

"Y'know, so am I," Issei answered. His tone of wry amusement carried over into a dragon's voice surprisingly well, despite sounding like a muffled peal of thunder. "If I try this again, I need to come up with a better way of carrying ammo."

"We'll work on something during the summer," Sona called out. She was sticking extra close, as well, but conserving her strength for the magical bombardment.

"We're here," Ravel announced, pitching her voice so that she could be heard clearly. "Two kilometers. I don't think we can risk higher." She was looking slightly nervous about being this high up. Issei couldn't blame her; he hadn't flown this high before, either.

"Agreed," Sona announced. "Issei-kun, go ahead and get set up. Ravel-san, Mihae-san, let's begin." She moved both hands in an invocational gesture, and magical circles inscribed with the Sitri sigil appeared around her. There were only two dozen, but from each of them emerged a massive water-serpent, each one the size of a tour bus and comprised of boiling water and rippling electrical current. Her expression was starting to become weary, and Issei winced internally. His fiancee had been slinging a _lot_ of heavy-duty combat magic this afternoon, and it was starting to show.

Ravel nodded, her expression shifting to one of determination. She made her own gestures, and five dozen magical circles bearing the Phenex sigil popped into existence around her. Each of them was wreathed in white-gold phoenix-fire, and they almost seemed to pulse with the flickering flames.

Mihae pursed her lips in thought, and four dozen magical circles flared to life before her. Each of them crackled with silver-blue lightning, which would help Issei in the next phase of the attack.

For his part, Issei carefully curled himself into a series of coils, wrapped around two of the I-beams. With painstaking care, he shifted the rest of them towards Isabela. His fellow Rook grimaced, but took the remaining ones with as much grace as she could muster, holding them carefully.

"Five minutes, or whenever the shield collapses," Sona declared. They had already worked out beforehand how long they could sustain a heavy bombardment. "Then Mihae-san falls back to help Issei-kun, and we cover him." They nodded, and she returned the nod. "Ready… aim… _fire_!" She hurled forth her water-serpents before she even finished the last word.

-xxxx-

"Well, crap-nya." Kuroka stared up at the armored white figure hanging in the air. Glowing blue wings radiated from its back. She wasn't the only one in the schoolyard staring upwards in shock.

She knew exactly what _that_ meant. There had been rumors about the current White Dragon Empress, but almost all of them had focused on her beauty and bust size. Not one of them had mentioned the little fact that she'd achieved her fucking _Balance Breaker_.

"Just what the hell do _you_ want…?" she asked aloud, well aware that she wouldn't receive a verbal answer.

All at once, the figure surged downward, slamming an armored fist against the magical barrier enveloping the middle school campus. The fist struck with enough force to make the shield ripple and reverberate. Then a voice boomed out, one that sent chills down the nekoshou's spine. "Divide! Divide! Divide! _Divide_!" The shield started rippling again, and this time it kept rippling. Kuroka could see its hazy light start flickering and fading.

"Divide! Divide! **Divide!** " The chant went on, and the shield visibly trembled and warped. The white armored figure reared back, its wings now blazing so brightly that Kuroka's eyes stung, and drove its fist back down, and the barrier bent inward and shattered with a sound like exploding porcelain. The magical backlash pulsed downward, shaking the school buildings and blowing out the windows. Kuroka was knocked ass over teakettle as well. If not for illusion magic, she'd have given someone quite a show.

"Wait, that's not…" she started to say as the sky lit up again. She glanced upwards, and regretted it immediately. _That_ was the kind of massive magical barrage even _she_ would envy. The Hakuryuukou darted away, climbing rapidly in altitude, and it occurred to Yasaka that that was actually pretty sensible. The OSF Devils in the schoolyard frantically tried to raise another barrier, but they were still stunned and wounded from the last barrier breaking. What they managed as a replacement was patchy and riddled with holes. It wouldn't last long.

Cursing, she hurled herself at the main building's double doors. She barely made it inside before the combined hailstorm of lightning, phoenix flame, and electrified water struck.

-xxxx-

The observers on the scene had scrying spells directed back towards Yasaka, so she and her advisors could watch. Everyone present was watching as the bombardment rolled in, grim satisfaction on everyone's face to some degree. Even Asia watched with a kind of quietly vengeful contentment, though she had the good grace to feel bad about it and pray for forgiveness later.

Credit where credit was due: the OSF magicians did their damnedest to keep the new barrier up. Sadly, their work was in vain. The new shield was weak from the beginning, and the bombardment involved an experienced Bishop and two high-class Devils who were extremely powerful magicians. At the sixty-second mark, the barrier popped with a sound like shattering glass, and once again the school buildings trembled and cracked. No one who'd been in the school yard when the second shield fell survived.

The bombardment ceased. An eerie calm hung over the ruined campus, one that fooled none of the observers.

-xxxx-

Tannier Oriax growled to himself. This day had not gone as he'd expected.

He had been part of the Old Satan Faction for nearly a century, just after Prohibition had gutted his family's holdings in the human world… holdings that he'd been responsible for overseeing. His parents hadn't been interested in the fact that his human contractors had been at fault; no, they had only wanted someone to hold responsible. They'd always been intimidated by his strength and intelligence, anyway; they'd just been aching for an excuse to make Mayal their heir. Mayal, whose only qualifications were a pretty face and being "good with people." Bah!

The OSF had welcomed him with open arms, quietly helping him repair his reputation to the point where he ran some of his house's businesses again. In return, he funneled them funds and equipment. One day, they promised him, we'll overthrow the Maou, and you can take your rightful place as the Viscount of Oriax, and dispose of your parents and sister as you see fit.

Tannier didn't expect to see that day come anytime soon, but he had plans in mind for it anyway. For Mayal, in particular.

Then came today. His superiors (he didn't know their names, but he had suspicions) had promised that this was the first blow struck against the Maou, to begin weakening their regime. And, as a senior cell leader, they gave him command of the staging base. He didn't have the freedom to run loose and wreak havoc like the others, but it was an important position, reflective of his importance in the organization. To be sure, the youkai would eventually push them out, but at a serious cost, and he chuckled as he thought about Gremory and Sitri trying vainly to recover from the loss of their heirs. To say nothing of trying to placate Yasaka… Tannier allowed himself to indulge in a momentary fantasy of Kyoto's ruler, bound and kneeling before him, her clothing tattered ruins, as much at his disposal as Mayal would one day be.

It was even more a fantasy now than it had been at the beginning of the day.

The idea that effective resistance might rise up immediately hadn't even occurred to him. Or that the youkai might find their base, and take measures to trap them. As a result, nearly all of his junior commanders had either gone completely dark or were with him now, in varying states of injury. Numerous communication attempts had been cut off in mid-sentence, with the realization that most of the strike force had been either killed or captured. And Kyoto's magicians had laid interdiction wards - _strong_ ones - on the entire area. Tannier was the most powerful magician present, and he couldn't even teleport across the room now, much less back to the Underworld.

The survivors were now licking their wounds in the school buildings, and Tannier was stuck trying to turn the afternoon around.

"The new shield is gone," his assistant said softly. Tannier shot the younger Devil a furious look, and the fact that he couldn't gainsay his words only made him angrier. Against the walls, the handful of mostly-intact Devil magicians struggled to keep the walls from buckling.

The assistant started to shrink back, but froze as a communications circle flickered to life beside his ear. "Help!" a voice shrieked. "We're under attack!"

"We know!" his assistant snarled in reply.

" _In the halls_!" the voice snarled back, now as much angry as frightened. "Someone's in the school, cutting us to ribbons! Some bitch with cat ears!"

The assistant started to reply, his eyebrow rising in disbelief, but a bloodcurdling scream sounded from the communications circle. It winked out with eerie finality, and at that very moment the shield popped like a soap bubble. A moment later, the building itself shook like a war god had struck it, the walls buckling and all the windows blowing out. Tannier stumbled and fell, his head bouncing off the edge of a desk, and he snarled in pain and anger. Most of the other Devils in the room were in similar straits.

The classroom door opened with a creak, and all eyes snapped to it.

A beautiful dark-haired woman entered, a sardonic smile on her face. She had cat ears and a pair of black tails, and (barely) wore a kimono with a belt of large golden beads wrapped around her waist. "I hope you don't mind me letting myself in-nya," she said, her tone dust-dry.

"You!" Tannier yelled. Everyone in the room knew who she was. "Nekoshou _bitch_ …"

"Smile when you say that." She immediately burst into motion, an ebon hurricane cloaked in touki and purple-black demonic energy. Most of the cell leaders in the room had already been injured, and the backlash from the shield's failure hadn't done them any favors. The woman had killed half of them before the rest could begin to react. All that did for them was cause them to die tired.

Tannier hadn't even managed to pull himself to his feet when she did it for him. Her fingers curled into the front of his robes, and she lifted him off his feet, looking at him with amusement. "I think you'll make a nice present for Yasaka."

He felt a chill creep up his spine as he remembered his earlier fantasy. Now the tables were turned, and in all the worst ways. "Damn you," he tried to growl, but his energy was slipping away. The words came out as a whimper. Around them, the walls sagged slowly. That seemed a fitting summation of the current situation.

" _That's_ your idea of bold words when being taken prisoner? How unoriginal-nya," The woman said dryly.

Tannier tried to spear her with a contemptuous look, but the energy wasn't there. He slipped into darkness before he could fully process why.

-xxxx-

Kuroka regarded the unconscious OSF base commander with amused contempt. Shrugging, she draped him over one shoulder. She wasn't sure just _why_ the bombardment had paused, but she had no doubt that it was _only_ a pause. It was time to leave.

-xxxx-

"Hold it steady!" Issei rumbled. This was _way_ harder than he had expected, but he was committed, and so were they. He concentrated, and grimaced as his entire draconic bulk flickered with electrokinesis. Holding himself coiled like this around the pair of I-beams was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.

"Your mother says we're all clear!" Sona shouted over the skirling air distortion and rumble of thunder. She was pouring most of her magic into boosting Issei's electrokinesis, and the result was putting them in the middle of a small supercell. "Do it!" She patted Issei's flank.

"Right!" Issei shifted slightly. "I need eyes… make sure I'm lined up…"

"Up a little," Ravel called out breathlessly. "Little to the left… little more… okay." She hesitated, then reached out, hesitantly patted his flank as well. She grimaced at the electric tingle. "All lined up!"

"Getting a little outnumbered here!" Vali shouted, her voice amplified and rendered slightly vibrato by Divine Dividing's Balance Breaker. Quite a few OSF Devils had spotted and followed her skyward, and she was fending them off while trying to keep Issei covered. She was juking and dodging like a fighter plane, literally punching her opponents out of the air. Still, they were mobbing her faster than she could drive them off, and it was starting to reach a point where numbers would tell. "Do it!"

"Yes, please!" Isabela agreed. Rook strength and resilience made holding the extra I-beams aloft easy enough, but damned if they weren't still unwieldy. Having to hold them while dodging attacks was not a pleasant experience.

Mihae had no attention to spare and comment. Like Sona, she was boosting Issei's electrokinesis with her own, and her expression was tight and pinched with the effort.

"Right!" Issei took a deep breath, and then shouted with all his might, " _Gauss Dragon!_ " He _pushed_ as hard as he could mentally, metaphorically reenacting Railgun's "firing" motion.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the electrokinesis surrounding him flared a blinding golden-white, and the I-beams streaked downward like a rocket, leaving a deafening sonic boom in their wake. The resulting Mach cone nearly knocked Issei and his friends out of the sky, and actually did that to some of their attackers.

Seconds later, a massive explosion rippled outward from the point of impact.

"Load!" Ravel shouted, and Isabela flew forward. She and Ravel guided the next I-beam into the makeshift "barrel" of Issei's coils, and he "fired" again. Another Mach cone rocked them, and another explosion rocked the deserted school grounds. Isabela was already reloading before Ravel could speak, and moments later another I-beam rocketed downward. By now, a thick cloud of dust and debris was covering ground zero. Issei sent the last pair of projectiles downward, kicking up even more of a mess.

* * *

"Sweet kami, what _was_ that?" Kuroka whispered, staring at the dust-obscured crater that had been the middle school campus. Those last three strikes might not have been quite as powerful as the preceding bombardment, but they'd definitely pulverized the schoolyard. None of the buildings were still intact, even partially, and the main building's entire foundation had been vaporized.

She suppressed a shudder and looked upward. A nekoshou's senses were remarkably keen, and a Bishop as powerful as she had easy access to magical enhancements. Even so, the sight she sought was very high up, at least two kilometers. She could make out a draconic-shaped mass, curled around… something, shrouded in electricity. There were several other things floating beside it, presumably other Devils. A smile, mostly proud but laced with wistfulness, crossed her lips.

"Was that you, Icchan?" she said softly. "You've grown up-nya…" The urge to stick around and see him again was almost too strong to resist, but that would be a bad, bad idea. Instead, she slung the unconscious Tannier Oriax over one shoulder; she knew exactly where to leave him for Yasaka's people to collect him.

With that, she summoned a teleportation circle. As soon as she'd dumped Tannier, she'd have to run. And she still had to peek in on Shirone before she could rest.

An elder sister's work was never done, after all. Not even when she couldn't reveal herself to them.

* * *

Sona cocked her head, listening to the communications circle beside her ear. "Your mother says that the OSF base is destroyed. There appear to be no survivors."

Issei let out a great, shuddering sigh, and for a moment his altitude dipped. He corrected quickly, but not before Sona and Ravel both let out alarmed noises. "I'm all right," he said, a weary chuckle in his voice. "That took more out of me than I expected."

Isabela relaxed as well, and so did Vali. The surviving airborne OSF Devils stared down at the wreckage of their base, and beat a hasty retreat. They didn't get far before Vali caught up with them. None survived the encounter.

"Let's get to the ground," Mihae suggested. Her elegant appearance was now looking slightly haggard. "Let's not press our luck."

Sona nodded. "They're using a park in the Gion district as their headquarters," she said. "That seems as good a place as any to land." They pointed themselves downward, shaping their course for that park.

-xxxx-

Sumire narrowed her eyes slightly, pulling her phone out. Asia watched her curiously as she spoke hurriedly, and was somehow unsurprised by what she said next. "That was our informant. She captured the OSF field commander and left him unconscious and bound for us." Her thumbs danced across the smartphone's screen. "I'm tasking Katsuhito-san's raider team for retrieval."

"Thank you," Yasaka said, her eyebrows knitting in bemusement. She glanced at Rio, and they exchanged looks that neither Asia nor Rias could read.

Five minutes later, a lithe young man with cat ears and tails entered, flanked by a half-dozen similar such figures. They were dressed in dark greys and blues, and each one carried a daisho. The leader had a bound and unconscious figure slung over one shoulder, a long belt comprised of large golden beads wrapped tightly around his arms and wrists. The leader set the unconscious fellow at Sumire's feet and bowed. "He's fully unconscious, Sumire-dono. We made sure of that." He smiled thinly. "He's not carrying ID, aside from tattoos."

Rias peered at the figure, her face slightly pinched in thought, before her eyes lit up in recognition. "Tannier Oriax. I thought he was dead."

"Apparently not," Yasaka said dryly. "Under normal circumstances, I'd offer extradition, but…"

Rias raised her hands. "Under the circumstances, it's only fair that you decide what to do with him. He's yours."

Yasaka inclined her head in thanks.

Motion from above caught Asia's eye, and she looked up. A moment later, she smiled for the first time in what felt like days. "Nii-san! Sona-neesan!"

Indeed, a large Japanese dragon, midnight-blue in color and crackling with the occasional flicker of static electricity, was descending on the park, accompanied by five beautiful Devil women. Just above the treeline, the dragon winked out of existence, replaced by an exhausted-looking Issei, whose shoulders were already drooping. Sona grabbed his right arm, and a blonde Devil with twin drill-tails took his left, and they gently glided the rest of the way down.

Asia moved over to him, Rio and Lavinia close behind her. "Are you all right?" she asked. "You look like you've had a rough day." She realized that Sona was the only girl she recognized, and offered a quick bow. "I'm Hyoudou Asia, his sister. This is our mother, Rio."

"I'm fine, Asia. Just tired." Issei's response was game but weary, and he leaned pretty heavily against Sona. The Sitri heiress looked as put-together as always, but there was definite weariness in her eyes and expression.

"Not much of a family resemblance," the silver-haired girl noted. There was no malice or challenge in her voice, just bluntness. "I'm Vali, by the way. Hi, Lavinia."

"Hi, Va-chan." The elder magician turned towards Asia. "This is the friend who came to Kyoto with me. Lucky thing she met up with your brother."

"Ravel-san? What are you doing here?" Rias came up behind Asia, and was staring in surprise at the drill-tailed girl.

"Hello, Rias-san." "Ravel" looked equally surprised to see Rias. "My peerage-mates and I were sightseeing in Kyoto. And you?"

"Asia is going to be my contracted magician," Rias answered. "We were meeting with her mentor in Grauzauberer."

"Indeed you were," Lavinia said cheerfully. She waved a hand, and a rolled-up piece of parchment appeared, with a silver ballpoint pen clipped to it. She offered the paper to Asia. "I don't have any doubt about your worthiness to be part of Grauzauberer. Sign that, please."

Asia blinked, staring at her in surprise for a moment, then broke out in a huge smile. "Thank you!" She hurriedly unrolled the parchment, eyes flicking across the script first. (Never a bad idea to check for fine print…) She clicked the pen and scribbled "Hyoudou Asia" at the bottom of the paper. Her signature glowed a soft white-grey for a moment. She realized that she was doing the same.

Lavinia seemed pleased at that. She accepted the parchment, and produced a neatly-wrapped bundle of white-grey cloth from out of thin air. She held it out to Asia. "The books I gave you have a spell for adjusting those to fit you. Be sure to wear them when working with Rias-san."

"I will!" Asia promised.

"Way to go, Asia," Issei said, trying to straighten up. He looked like life and energy were starting to return to him.

"Congratulations," Sona agreed, offering a smile.

"Thank you all," she replied softly, her shoulders drooping as the realization that the crisis was over sank in. She clutched the bundle tightly. It was almost as if she could feel her agency - her ability to live her life as she willed it - in the bundled cloth.

-xxxx-

"Thank you for helping out today." Yasaka looked around the motley group, and offered a deep and respectful bow. "All of you. The situation would have been far worse without your intervention."

"We were glad to help," Sona replied, and Issei nodded firmly in agreement.

"It was no problem," Vali said with a shrug. "I always enjoy a good dust-up, and those OSF pricks had it coming."

"Kyoto is my peerage-mate's hometown," Ravel declared. "I don't like the idea of it coming to harm any more than she does."

"I second that," Isabela chimed in. Mihae smiled softly and nodded her agreement.

"Well, I think I'd better be off." Vali stretched and yawned. "You don't need me around for the cleanup."

"You're off, Va-chan?" Lavinia said, looking unsurprised.

"Don't call me 'Va-chan.' Yeah. I need to get some air."

"Maybe we'll see you around, then."

"Maybe so. Take care, Hyoudou Issei, Sona Sitri." She tossed the two of them a wave and walked towards the park's treeline, heedless of the surprise and indignation among many of the youkai.

-xxxx-

"You probably didn't do yourself any favors right there," Lavinia mused conversationally. She had elected to see her friend off. It wasn't unusual for the White Dragon Empress to disappear and blow off steam after a particularly intense battle

"What the hell. It's not like I plan on coming back to Kyoto anytime soon. Anyway, I think I'll just be in the way right now." Vali's eyes glanced towards Issei for a moment.

Lavinia followed her gaze, and smiled. "You two seem to get along well."

Vali shrugged. "He seems like he'd be a good ally. He's good in a fight, anyway." She narrowed her eyes at Lavinia's smile. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Have fun."

Vali gave her friend a quizzical look, then shrugged. "You too. Divine Dividing!" The white and glowing-blue wings sprouted from her back, and she took to the sky.

-xxxx-

"I suppose it's time we returned home, as well." Ravel bowed, first to Sona, and then to Issei. " Sona-san, it was nice to see you again," she said formally. "And it was nice to meet you, Issei-san."

"I, as well," Isabela agreed. Mihae nodded, and offered a respectful bow.

Issei gave both of them a respectful bow. "It was nice to meet all of you." He grinned tiredly. "Hopefully next time we meet will be more peaceful."

"Yes, that would be nice," Ravel agreed. For some reason, her cheeks were slightly pink. She summoned a teleportation circle, and it whisked her the three of them away.

Issei stretched and rubbed his right shoulder, then got an odd expression on his face. He sniffed the air. "That's odd."

Sona looked up from where she was helping Asia. "What is it?"

"I could have sworn I was smelling yakitori," he told her. "Strange."

"Yes. Strange," Sona smirked for a moment, and exchanged amused glances with Asia. Issei decided it was best not to press for an explanation.

-xxxx-

"Well done, Rio."

Rio froze at the sound of that voice, and closed her eyes briefly in resignation. She then turned to face the speaker, bowing deeply. "Thank you, oba-sama."

The speaker returned the bow. Despite the honorific Rio used, she looked even younger than her "natural" form. She was an extremely cute brunette, apparently in her early teens, with her hair worn up in a shimada-style hairdo. She was clad in a houmongi that greatly resembled Rio's. Her eyes shifted towards Issei, and he instinctively straightened up.

Rio cleared her throat. "Issei, this is Doumon Genbu, your great-aunt and the head of the Doumon family."

Issei's eyes widened, but somehow, he wasn't fully surprised. At this rate, the real surprise would be meeting someone who actually _was_ the age they appeared to be. He bowed respectfully. "I'm pleased to meet you, oba… I mean, Genbu-sama."

"'Oba-san' is fine. We're family, after all." The woman's expression was serene and dignified, but he couldn't escape the feeling that she was deeply amused. "This is the first time we've met since you were very young. You've done very well today, as well."

"Thank you," Issei said carefully. "Ah, I should point out that Asia has, as well. And so has Sona-chan - err, my fiancee, that is, as well as our acquaintances…" Asia and Sona both bowed as well.

"Of course." Genbu inclined her head towards Asia, and then Sona. "I thank all of you for your efforts on behalf of Kyoto and our family. Please, let me extend our family's hospitality to you tonight." She smiled slightly. "As I said, you're family as well."

-xxxx-

Genbu hadn't been kidding about the accommodations.

The Doumon family maintained a small estate in Ohara. It was virtually the platonic ideal of a ryokan, complete with an onsen. The hot springs even had a mixed-bathing section, and Issei and Sona were getting amused looks from the others as they settled in. (Rias and Asia were sharing a room, as were Rio and Lavinia. The blonde mage was making noises about temporarily relocating to Kuoh, to keep an eye on Asia's early career. The idea that Issei and Sona might room with anyone else seemed to have occurred to no one.)

Exactly where Vali had gone, no one knew. Lavinia seemed unworried, though. "She probably went somewhere to blow off steam," she said blithely.

Dinner had been traditional - and expensive-looking. Issei had never actually had a kaiseki before; Gorou and Rio's tastes ran surprisingly contemporary. But the traditional multi-course feast had been delicious and filling. He and Sona had nearly nodded off in the bath afterwards, too sated for anything more than the most cursory making out.

"Actually, this is pretty nice," Issei commented as they laid out the futons. "Would you believe I've never actually been to a ryokan?"

"No, I wouldn't," Sona replied. "Not at all?"

"Not that I can remember, anyway," he told her. "Maybe when I was really little, but I definitely don't remember it."

"Mmm. It's a pity we don't have more time to soak it in," Sona said. "Maybe over summer break. If not in Japan, maybe it the Underworld. Rias's family has a rather large Japanophile streak, so they have quite a few onsen and ryokan in their territory."

"I'd love that," Issei said, perking up. "Familiar _and_ exotic." He finished setting up the futons, and turned the blankets down. His eyes returned to Sona, and his smile was both admiring and speculative. "You look great in a yukata."

"You, too." Sona wore a similar smile, and she scooted closer to him, leaning against him. He wrapped his arms around her, and she nestled closer. For a long time, the room was comfortably silent.

"Issei-kun? You awake?" Sona said finally.

Issei blinked. "Wha - sorry, I'd started falling asleep there." He stifled a thoroughly undignified yawn.

Sona chuckled. "Why don't we take a nap, then? We've had a pretty busy day. Just a nap to perk us up."

"Smart idea," Issei agreed, not stifling the next yawn. With that, he flopped bodily back onto the futon, taking Sona with him. She actually let out a yelping laugh of surprise, and bapped him lightly on the shoulder. "A little _warning_ , next time, if you please…"

"Sorry 'bout that." He yawned again, this one much deeper and louder, and pulled her close again. After a moment, she rested her head on his chest, her eyes fluttering shut.

A short nap sounded perfect.

-xxxx-

"I wonder how long they've been like that."

"I think they've been like that all night. Does Sona-neesan always make that face in her sleep?"

"If she's relaxed enough. At least she's not drooling like Hyoudou-kun," Rias mused. She wore a shit-eating grin; catching her oldest friend in such an unguarded moment was too good an opportunity to pass up. "They look so adorable. Don't forget to turn the flash off."

"I _know_ how to take a picture, Rias-san," Asia chided the red-haired Devil. "Now, hold on." She carefully lined up the phone's camera lens and snapped several pictures… with the flash still on.

"I just _told_ you - " Rias started, exasperated, but the damage was done. Both Issei and Sona flinched at the multiple flashes, and Issei opened one eye sleepily. "Wha…?"

"Sorry!" Asia blurted out contritely. "We just saw you two like that, and it was so cute…"

"Bwa? Anata, what…?" Sona groped around for her glasses, finally finding them and putting them on. They still ended up cutely askew, but that did surprisingly little to dilute her piercing look. "Rias, Asia-chan… what are you two doing in our room?"

"We came to see if you were awake," Rias said with a big smile. "And to invite you to breakfast, if you were. It's a good thing, too, because we managed to immortalize _this_." She turned Asia's phone so Sona could see. (Issei was still trying to nudge his brain out of sleep mode.)

There on the phone's screen was a snapshot of Issei and Sona snuggled together while sleeping. Her face was half-turned against Issei's chest, but an expression that was relaxed nearly to the point of being slack-jawed was visible. She still looked more dignified in her sleep than Issei did, however; his free arm was thrown haphazardly to the side, and his mouth was open in a big stupid grin while drool trickled from one corner of his mouth.

The photo's subject pushed himself into a half-sitting position, stared blearily at the phone, and and his face became outright mortified as he realized what he was looking at.

"This will be my new wallpaper. I'm sure Akeno will want a copy," Rias teased in a good-natured tone.

Asia gently pried her phone out of Rias's hand. "You two really _are_ adorable together, nii-san. Come join us for breakfast."

Issei and Sona exchanged bleary-eyed looks, then shrugged. "We'll be right down," the latter said. "Now, if you'll leave so we can get dressed…"

"Yes, Sona-neesan," Asia said in a placating tone. "Rias-sempai, let's give them some time alone." Giggling, she left the room. Rias followed after a moment, still smiling.

Issei and Sona leaned against each other, and shared a rueful chuckle. "I really _don't_ want to deal with them this morning," he said wistfully.

"Summer break," she reminded him. "We'll find a place with a hot spring and rules against disturbing couples in the morning."

"I'll hold you to that," Issei answered, and stifled a yawn.

"Come on," Sona said, standing carefully and reaching a hand down to him. He took it.

* * *

"You three are idiots." This proclamation came from a regal-looking man with silver hair and a goatee. He reclined in an expensive chair, sipping an expensive wine while his three assistants sat on the uncomfortable sofa before him, looking chagrined. "What were you thinking?"

"We saw an opportunity to cripple Gremory and Stiri," the woman protested. She was in her true form now, a statuesque beauty with light-brown hair in a bun and slim-frame glasses. She wore a short, curve-hugging dress with a plunging neckline.

"And to damage their alliance with Kyoto," interjected the dark-haired man. He was almost beautiful, his long raven hair tied up in a high ponytail, and he wore dark robes inscribed with Devil iconography.

"We judged it worth the risk," the brown-haired man concluded. He wore a form-fitting suit of black body armor under a midnight-blue cape. His handsome features were almost petulant.

"You judged wrong," the silver-haired man said, his tone now a thin knife flaying their spirits. "The basic idea had some merit, and you did cause a lot of damage… but not nearly enough to cow Yasaka. You didn't plan for how quickly they'd retaliate, or how forcefully, either. And now Gremory and Sitri are cozier with Kyoto than ever. _That_ is what your little brainstorm bought us, and all it cost was fifteen percent of our active cells. The fifteen percent worth talking about, at that." He waited until the realization surfaced on their faces before softening his tone. "Fortunately, this is manageable. In fact, it may even benefit us in the long run."

The three stared at him. The woman found her voice first. "Rizevim-sama…?"

"My sources tell me that the fiasco has now convinced the public, and many in the Pillars, that our organization is incompetent and toothless," he explained. "Not all of them believe this. I expect that, at least, the current Maou will be wary. But the prevailing public opinion is that we… what is that charming human term? 'Screwed the pooch?'" He ignored their reactions of distaste at his usage of a human vulgarity. "That means that most people will dismiss us as a threat."

"What are you planning, Rizevim-sama?" the brown-haired man asked.

Rizevim chuckled. "There's another human term that's become relevant to me lately. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' In their efforts to ease Devilkind towards a peaceful coexistence with the rabble and our ancient foes, the current Maou have disaffected not only us, but their would-be allies' rivals. I've begun speaking with them."

"Rizevim-sama!" The dark-haired man shot to his feet in protest. "You can't mean to ally with…" He trailed off, as he began considering the benefits.

"Ultimately, True Devils have no friends, nor even true allies," Rizevim said in a dry tone. "But that doesn't negate the wisdom in cooperating with those whose goals match ours." He gestured, and a communications circle flared to life - no, the three realized in surprise, it had been active the whole time, merely obscured by illusion magic. Someone had been listening to them. "Isn't that right?"

"I couldn't agree more," a rough male voice replied, and the three of them stiffened as they realized just who was speaking. "So much easier to determine the winner when all the chaff is cleared from the board. Makes the game more interesting."

"Just so," Rizevim said with a nod. "Katarea. Shalba. Creusey. You three can go now. Our associate and I have some matters to discuss."

The three assistant leaders of the Old Satan Faction stood up, still shocked, and left the room.

"What is he thinking?" Katarea sputtered as they left the mansion.

"I think… I think he's thinking about winning," Shalba said simply. Neither of his compatriots could rebut that.

* * *

Rio kissed Gorou on the cheek. "Stay out of trouble while we were gone?"

"Sure. Just had some friends over to play cards."

"It better not have been poker," Rio warned him. "I still remember what your one friend did after losing."

"Nope. We just played Uno and watched the Bael-Belial Rating Game." He smiled at his wife, son, daughter, and future daughter-in-law. "Welcome home. Did you guys enjoy Kyoto?"

"Once the Old Satan Faction had been kicked out, yes." Rio cocked her head, looking at the cloth grocery bag sitting on the counter. "Are those…?"

"Yep. They were Tannin's contribution to the pot." Gorou paused, and gave Rio a sharp look. "The OSF?! What the hell were _they_ doing in Kyoto?" His sudden spike of confused anger was an obvious cover for after-the-fact worry. "Are you guys okay?

"Going after Rias and I," Sona answered. "They wanted to weaken our alliance with Yasaka-san. Don't worry, Gorou-san, we were able to handle them."

"Everything's under control, Gorou-kun," Rio assured her husband. "You can relax."

Issei glanced at the apples, then gave them a second look. "Those look… really, really good. One of your friends have an orchard or something, tou-san?"

"Something like that," Gorou said with a nod. He was already starting to calm down. "Go ahead and try one."

Issei eyed him dubiously, then plucked one out of the bag and cut it in half. He bit into one of the halves, and his eyes widened as the taste hit home. He turned to Sona. "Sona-chan, give this a try. It's… _wow_."

"Thank you. I've never actually had dragon apples before," Sona replied. She picked up the untouched half and took a bite. Her own eyes widened, and she said, "Yes, I think a 'wow' is in order."

"Dragon apples are pretty special," Gorou agreed. "Some species of dragon can't survive on anything else."

"These aren't gonna have any weird effects on us, are they?" Issei asked curiously. The question didn't stop him from polishing off his half of the apple with gusto.

"Not usually," Gorou assured him. "Most of what you'd feel is an extra boost of energy." He chuckled. "You may have to stay pretty active today to burn it off before you turn in. I recommend taking a long flight. The Sea of Japan is really pretty right around dusk."

"We just got home," Issei started to say.

"I think your father has a point," Rio said. Her eyes were on Gorou's, and she reached out to take one of the apples herself.

"I think I'm going to go see Kaori-san," Asia said quickly. "Work on homework." She darted into the foyer.

"Your father's probably right about dusk, Issei-kun," Sona added, taking his hand. "Let's go, too." She dragged the feebly-protesting Issei towards the front door as well.

* * *

Issei stopped in the doorway. The rest of the peerage were wearing shit-eating grins. Even Tsubaki's normally serene expression was openly amused.

"What?" he asked flatly.

"So." Reya was very nearly bouncing in her chair, a sight that Issei had to work to keep from ogling. "Hairpins?"

He groaned, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. Sona looked exasperated, but patted his back. "Who told you?"

"Yuuto-kun told me," Tsubaki admitted. "Rias-sempai apparently told him."

"We saw the other thing, too," Tsubasa added, turning her laptop so they could see the screen. The web browser was showing a paused video on DeviTube, labeled "Dragon Fires Magical Railgun?!" She tapped the touchpad, and the video resumed playing, showing Issei using Gauss Dragon on the OSF base.

"I'm surprised someone took the time to record it." Issei gave Sona a half-apologetic look. It wasn't like he'd been _trying_ to become famous on the supernatural Internet…

She smirked and patted his back again. "Nothing happened in Kyoto for you to feel ashamed of, Issei-kun. Although I'm also surprised someone was able to record that."

"Apparently someone from Kyoto was able to upload it," Aika explained. "They've got the city's CCTV network, or what there is of one, sewn up tight. Some of those cameras got some decent footage."

Kaori nodded. "That's a frightening attack, Ise. Anyone with a gram of sense ought to avoid pissing you off."

"Unfortunately, the Underworld is full of people who lack even that much sense," Sona noted. She glanced at the DeviTube comments. "You should take a look at these, Issei-kun. They're pretty complimentary."

"Those hairpins didn't seem to work as well as the nails, according to Rias-sempai, but it sounded like they were effective enough," Reya said thoughtfully.

"When you think about it, hairpins would be a lot easier to explain having at school," Kaori said. From her expression and tone, she was torn between joining in the friendly ribbing and trying to ease his embarrassment. That fact warmed Issei slightly. He decided he was better off not exploring why.

"I guess you and kaichou had better start carrying them in bulk," Aika said, elbowing Kaori with a good-natured smirk. The Knight gave her friend an old-fashioned look, and the Pawn just responded with a knowing smile.

Issei didn't notice. He was too busy leaning over Tsubasa's laptop and checking the comments. "...you're right. These are way nicer than I was expecting. I don't get all the hate on my shirt, though. 'Blue isn't his color,' what the hell…"

Tsubaki cleared her throat. "To be honest, kaichou, we were surprised you stayed overnight. Things were under control, but I'd have thought you eager to be quit of Kyoto after that situation."

"The Doumon family wanted to express its gratitude," Sona explained. "They had a small, local estate that they operate as a ryokan, and they put us up there."

"The Doumon?" Tsubaki perked up in interest, and nodded in realization. "That's right, Rio-san is a Doumon."

"Kaa-san thinks we're cousins," Issei said dryly. "She thinks I'm related to Himejima-sempai, too."

* * *

Akeno sneezed.

Rias gave her a concerned look. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I think I may be coming down with something," the elegant Queen sniffled.

* * *

Tsubaki chuckled. "Well then, 'cousin,' go ahead and call me 'Tsubaki.' It would sound too weird for you to call me 'nee-san.'" She shifted her gaze back to Sona. "A ryokan? Did it have an actual onsen attached?"

"Yes," Sona admitted. "Normally, the one in question is closed during the spring, but they reopened and staffed it for us to stay last night." She smiled. "It was wonderful."

Tsubaki bobbed her head, looking pleased. Her expression then sobered, and her eyes shifted to Kaori. The Knight reddened slightly, and she cleared her throat. "Kaichou, something happened while you're gone. I don't think it's going to blow up, but we should discuss it."

Sona raised her eyebrows. "All right. What's going on?"

"She was summoned by a Kuoh student," Tsubaki explained.

Sona froze, and Issei couldn't blame her for the sudden wariness. That wasn't unheard-of - in fact, he knew that Rias's peerage had amassed a small network of students who were regular customers - but this was the first time it had happened with _Sona's_ peerage. It would be a major pain in the ass to deal with someone who thought they could blackmail her. "Who is it?"

"Katase Yui," Kaori explained. "My best friend."

"Katase summoned you?" Issei said, surprised. "How'd she take it?"

"Shocked," Kaori admitted. "Not angry. More concerned for me."

"I can see that," Issei admitted. "She's always been protective of you. She's still looking at me suspiciously when we're at practice."

"That's at least partly criticism of your technique by now," Kaori said, smiling slightly. "But, yeah, I think her main concern is that I'm not unhappy or being abused."

"It's good of your friend to worry about you," Sona said thoughtfully. "Why don't we meet with her? Perhaps we can assuage her fears."

"It's worth a try," Kaori answered, shrugging. "I don't _think_ she'll do anything stupid, but I'd like to make sure she doesn't. And that she doesn't get herself hurt, either."

-xxxx-

"I'll admit, I wasn't expecting this," Katase said two days later. She and Kaori shared a karaoke booth with Issei, Sona, and Tsubaki.

"Nor was I, although I probably should have," Sona agreed. "Less for you yourself, Katase-san, and more for the potential for anyone at school to summon a member of my peerage."

Katase nodded, her expression politely dubious. She turned towards Issei. "How long have you known about all this, Hyoudou? Were you always a Devil?"

Issei was tempted to give a smartass reply, and he was sure that urge was apparent on his face. With some effort, he answered instead, "Nope, I've only been one for about a month. I've known about them for maybe nine months. I learned about Devils when I accidentally summoned Sona-chan one night."

"Summoned her for what?" Katase's suspicion seemed to spike at that admission.

"To keep him awake and focused while programming," Sona answered. "Our interactions were entirely chaste prior to our engagement."

Katase considered that, her expression now somewhere between skeptical and thoughtful. "And now what?" she finally asked. "Is this where my life is in jeopardy if I don't join up or sell my soul?"

"Good grief, no." Sona sounded exasperated, the tone of an affronted professional. (Issei knew her well enough to also hear the affronted sense of someone who held herself to a high ethical standard… as high of one as a high-class Devil could maintain, anyway. For Sona Sitri, that was pretty damned high.)

"Yui, trust me," Kaori interjected. "If she'd wanted to harm you, you'd be dead already." She grimaced. "And probably me as well, for creating the situation."

"No one's harming anyone," Issei added quickly.

"Quite right." Sona took a sip from her iced coffee. "The only thing we ask is your silence."

"That's all?" Katase looked dubious again.

"I won't lie, I'd be happy to have another kendoka in my peerage," Sona admitted. "But I don't like compelling or misleading people in order to recruit them."

Katase's eyes cut to Issei, and Sona's expression sharpened in response. "No, Katase-san. That is _not_ what happened, and I don't appreciate the insinuation. It insults both Issei-kun and I." Both Kaori and Katase blinked in surprise at the unexpected sharpness in her voice.

"Okay…" Katase trailed off, still surprised at the president's strong reaction. "...sorry. I'm used to thinking of Hyoudou as… yeah."

"I'm used to people being skeptical about me cleaning up my act," Issei said with a shrug.

"But yes." Sona's calm reasserted itself. "Your silence is all I ask. Perhaps, as you get to know the supernatural world, you'll see the benefits of being a Devil. Or perhaps our allies will have something to offer you, and you to offer them."

"Allies?" Katase repeated.

"The Devils in Kuoh have an alliance with the youkai," Tsubaki explained. "At least, the faction that is based in Kyoto."

"How many factions are there?" Katase asked, cocking her head.

"The dominant one is in Kyoto, but there's at least one other major group," Sona explained. "And, of course, numerous smaller ones. Issei-kun's family is associated with the Kyoto-based one, in fact."

"...this is more complicated than I thought," Katase said, rubbing her head. Somehow, the idea of political complexity seemed to be wearing away at her skepticism. Nothing said "authenticity" like messy politics, after all.

"And welcome to my life," Kaori retorted with gentle sardony.

* * *

"Well? How's it look?"

"Well, you're nailing Sumireko," Issei said judiciously. He didn't want to admit that the sight of Aika had made his breath catch for a moment. "Looks good," he added lamely a moment later.

"Thanks," she said. "I told Sachiko-san I'd be bringing you along."

"I don't have to do any cosplay, do I?" he asked dubiously. "I know it's a general doujinshi convention, but I can't really think of anyone I want to dress as."

"Nah. It actually works better if you don't, if you're gonna be my bodyguard," she replied. "Too easy for you to get mistaken as some random creeper in a costume otherwise."

"Yeah, I can imagine." It wasn't like he'd never been in the position of the horny guy with a camera before, Issei had to admit. Before he could say anything else, Aika energized the teleportation circle, and Sona's living room was replaced by an empty storage room. Waiting for them was a girl in flawless Fujiwara-no-Mokou cosplay, who beamed as she saw Aika. "Kiryuu-san!"

"Hello, Sachiko-san," Aika replied, exchanging bows with the other woman. "This is my friend Hyoudou Issei-kun, and he'll be assisting us tonight as needed."

Issei hurriedly bowed. "Nice to meet you, Sachiko-san. Just tell me what you need."

-xxxx-

"That went better than I expected," Aika said brightly, several hours later. The fortune-telling/comedy-duo routine that she and Sachiko had devised went off without an apparent hitch, and they were once again in Sona's living room. To be sure, the Touhou fans present had greatly enjoyed it, and Issei's eyes were still a little blurry from all the flashes going off. As predicted, he'd had primarily been used primarily for labor and to glower at anyone who looked like they were going to get handsy with the Pawn.

Not that he could fully blame them, he admitted to himself. Aika pulled off Usami Sumireko really well. Too well for his comfort. If she noticed, she showed no signs of it, which was a blessing.

"It seemed to," he agreed. "Thanks for covering my dinner, by the way."

"It was only fair," Aika answered. "Should have expected you'd eat like a dragon, though," she added with a grin, and he had to laugh at that.

Sona smiled as well, and accepted the envelope that Aika offered her. She looked inside, and nodded in satisfaction. "Sachiko-san is very generous."

"She makes some serious bank from her streaming," Aika explained. She stood, stretching, and gave Issei a sideways look. "So, Sachiko-san wants to try doing this at Gataket in a couple months. Would you be willing to come along again? Same deal?"

"I think so, as long as Sona-san's good with it," he answered. "But I expect a nicer meal for out-of-town bodyguarding," he added with a good-natured smirk.

"As long as you try and keep your appetite in check, dragon," she teased, poking him gently in the shoulder.

"Is she planning on making that a regular thing?" Sona asked, amused at the interplay between the two of them.

"If it turns out well, yeah," Aika replied with a nod. "This could be good for us, kaichou."

"I agree," Sona said with a nod of her own. "Go ahead and see how things play out, Aika. Issei-kun, you have my permission to help her… and to get dinner from her," she added with a smirk of her own.

"A Rook's gotta eat, y'know," Issei chuckled.

"And I'd better get home, because I still have homework to do." Aika started to summon a teleportation circle, paused, and gave Issei a quick hug. "Thank you for helping tonight," she said, suddenly finding the window fascinating.

"Ah, um, it was no problem," Issei replied quickly, studying the wall. He returned the hug briefly.

Aika straightened up, clearing her throat, and teleported out without another word.

Issei looked at the piece of carpet where the teleportation circle had been, and then at Sona. "That was… odd," he said hesitantly. "Nice, but odd."

"I'd rather take it as a good sign, that you get along with everyone," Sona said. She reached a hand out to him, and suddenly looked thoughtful as he took it. "I have an idea for tomorrow night."

* * *

"Long-range testing, huh?" Issei mused.

Sona nodded. "I think it would be wise to know what the range on Unknown Dictator's abilities are. It'd be very useful if you could, for example, text or call us without your phone, from across Japan, or further." She paused in thought, then nodded. "In fact, I'd like to start testing from extremely long range."

"I'm not really sure what you need me for, though," Kaori said dubiously.

"Your part is very important, if you're willing," Sona explained. "Issei-kun will use Unknown Dictator to 'call' you, while leaving his phone with you. We'll test how far away we can go while maintaining that call."

"I'm willing," Kaori replied, now looking curious. Issei offered her his phone, and she tucked it into her school bag. "So, where are you starting from?"

"San Francisco," Sona said offhandedly.

" _San Francisco_?!" Issei and Kaori chorused, then exchanged dubious looks at having spoken in unison.

"San Francisco," Sona repeated, looking amused. "I haven't had Ghiradelli chocolate in years. Tonight seems as good a time as any."

"...you'd better bring me back some," the Knight declared in a mostly-joking attempt at haughtiness.

"Of course." Sona's humor only seemed to deepen.

-xxxx-

"Are you really there? Really really?"

"Yes, Kaori-san, we're 'really really' in San Francisco," Issei said in amused exasperation. It was the third time he'd said it in the last ten minutes. He and Sona were strolling, arm in arm, on Fisherman's Wharf, enjoying the cool late-evening air.

"I want proof you're actually there. Actual, physical proof, "the Knight insisted.

"The chocolate isn't enough?" Sona sounded deeply amused as well. It was almost as if she were hearing the punchline to some huge joke.

"Nope!" Issei could hear the smile in her voice.

"A souvenir? You want a souvenir?" he laughed. "Fine, I'll bring you the most touristy T-shirt I can find, something that has San Francisco plastered all over it. Happy?"

"Yes," Kaori replied, and he could almost see her nodding enthusiastically in his mind's eye. "You do that. You do that, and I'll wear it next time we're training."

"We'll hold you to that," Sona interjected with a smile.

-xxxx-

"Well, she asked for this," Issei snickered, patting the plastic bag. He and Sona sat on a bench overlooking the sea, eating crepes from Pier 39's Crepe Cafe. Despite the late hour, a little subtle magic usage kept them warm against the night chill.

"You two really _have_ known each other a while, haven't you?" Sona observed. She reached out, plucking a piece of Issei's ham and cheese crepe for herself.

"I guess. I was in the Academy's first co-ed middle school class. Even then, we were in the same class together, so… yeah, we have," Issei answered. He claimed a piece of Sona's dulce de leche crepe, washing it down with a gulp of root beer. "Not Katase, though. I think her folks were working in the US when she was in middle school, so she went with."

"Were you and Kaori friends in middle school?"

"I guess we were. For awhile, it looked like... " Issei trailed off, but what he didn't say was pretty clear anyway. "But in third year, I did something really dumb, and, well, that shot it in the foot. We didn't even start being friendly again until we joined your peerage."

He got an odd look on his face, and Sona cocked her head. "What is it?"

"Just something I started thinking about. How quickly things started happening once we became Devils, between me and Kaori-san and Aika-san. I guess we were civil to each other, but when we became Devils, it's like a switch was flipped, and suddenly we're each other's buddies…" He hesitated, then said, "It almost feels sometimes like they were ready for us to be friends like that, like they'd _been_ ready for a long time. Like they'd just been waiting on me to pull my head out of my ass…" He shrugged. "That might have made sense for Aika-san. She didn't have Kaori-san and I's history. But…" He shrugged again. "I can't begin to understand."

"They might have been," Sona said thoughtfully. "It's also possible that Kaori didn't actually hate you for whatever happened in middle school. You never did talk about it, did you?"

"No, we didn't," Issei admitted, then gave Sona a quizzical look. "What brings all this up?"

She chuckled and reached for his hand. "You don't have to pretend you don't have feelings for her, Issei-kun."

Issei squeezed her hand reflexively, relief and guilt mingling in his expression. "I'm sorry. Part of me still feels like I'm betraying you by even feeling anything for her and…" He hesitated, then chuckled a self-mocking chuckle. "...and anyone else I might be feeling something for."

"Remember what I told you," Sona said, squeezing back. "I wouldn't have made that offer if I hadn't decided I was okay with it long ago. And Kaori easily fits the guidelines I gave you. For that matter, so does the rest of my peerage." She smirked. "Although I think you'd have an interesting time ahead if you wanted to make _Saji_ part of your harem."

Issei half-choked on his crepe and hunched over. As soon as he could regain his breath, he gave Sona a dirty look. (Or tried to; he was never, ever able to really muster the heat to make one stick.) "That's… _argh_! I do _not_ need that mental image!" He reached for his root beer, draining half of it down. "

"Would it help if I told you that I find her attractive, too?" Sona said in an oh-by-the-way tone. As Issei froze, she took the opportunity to snag another large piece of his crepe.

"...so you really _are_ curious about me getting Rule 63'ed," Issei finally managed.

Sona nodded, smirking slightly. "Handsome as you are, I don't doubt you'd be a beautiful girl."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he replied. He had the _weirdest_ hard-on right now. "Well, nothing wrong with that. I can't get after you for liking cute girls if _I_ do too," he added with a chuckle.

"I'm still figuring out how much I like them," she explained. "I _do_ enjoy having a peerage full of beautiful girls, though."

"So, have you and Rias-sempai ever…?"

Sona snorted. "I suppose that's better than asking if Tsubaki and I had, considering that you're cousins." She shook her head. "But no. Never with Rias. Never any romantic involvement with another girl, not quite." She blushed slightly. "Onee-sama and I are… affectionate with each other. No doubt you've noticed how tactile she is. But even there, it's essentially skinship."

"I did kind of wonder about Sera-nee," Issei admitted. Then Sona's statement fully processed. He blinked, and then asked, "Does that mean that you two would…"

Sona rolled her eyes and snorted. "I _knew_ that was coming. She might be persuaded, but I'll let _you_ try and do the persuading."

"...maybe another time," Issei said. The thought was mind-searingly hot, but Sona didn't sound too enthused, so that was enough for him to drop the matter. "So is it girls exclusively with her?"

"She doesn't have a particular preference," Sona explained. "She was engaged a long time ago, to the eldest daughter of another noble house, but she died in the war against the Old Satan Faction. I never got to meet Yeyani-san; the war happened centuries before I was born." She took a drink from her iced tea, and reached for Issei's hand again. "Practically speaking, it might mostly be aesthetic appreciation for me. But in any event, anata, trust me when I tell you that you're not being faithless to me, or forcing me to accept something I don't want. You needn't do mental gymnastics to avoid hurting anyone."

Issei squeezed her hand and kissed it. "...okay. I won't avoid thinking about this anymore."

"You might try talking to her about this, too," Sona added dryly.

"After Golden Week," Issei said hurriedly.

"That'll be fine." The two of them lapsed back into companionable silence, their fingers interlacing again after a moment, and they looked out over the bay.

-xxxx-

"I really _did_ ask for this, didn't I?" Kaori said dryly, examining the T-shirt. It was matte black, with "I (HEART SYMBOL) SF" printed across the chest in big, blocky letters. (The heart symbol was a big, bright blue, very nearly a match for the color of Issei's pyrokinesis.)

"Yes, you did," Sona replied with good-natured reproach. "And he was so amused, he got one for everyone in the peerage. Remember, you promised to wear this during training." She passed the Knight another, smaller paper bag. "Direct from the flagship store."

"Thank you. And yes, I'll make sure to wear this," she promised. A silly smile played across her face as she examined the shirt, then carefully folded it and tucked it away.

Sona waited until Kaori emerged from her reverie before speaking again. "Have you thought any more about what we discussed?"

Kaori blinked, and nodded, looking pensive. "...yeah. To be honest, kaichou, I've been thinking about it constantly."

"I understand. Kaori, I don't mean to put pressure on you. But Issei-kun clearly has feelings for you, and if you're not willing to act on the ones you have for him, it's best you start distancing yourself from him now."

"I - kaichou, I _want_ to. Even before, I… even then, I wanted to. But I'm not ready to. I don't feel ready to… and I can't ask Ise to wait for me to be ready…"

"Yes, you can. He'll understand. He won't put pressure on you."

"...I know, and somehow that almost makes me feel _worse_. But… but if you think he'll listen, if you think he'll wait…" A long sigh. "I'll tell him, then. And you." After a moment, she added in a very small voice, "I do want him."

"That's enough for now, to know that you feel that way."

"I want to wait until after Golden Week, though," Kaori said. "I think I may need that time to get my thoughts in order."

"That should be fine. We'll be gone all Golden Week, anyway." Sona smiled wryly. "If you did it now, you could come with us. We'll be spending a few days alone at one of my family's beach houses, and you'd be welcome to join us."

Kaori colored slightly, and smiled ruefully. "I'm tempted. But I feel like I need to give some serious thought to how I do this."

* * *

Rio looked down at the faceted gems, and then at Issei. "Where did you get these?"

"Tou-san was kind enough to loan me the money for them," Issei admitted. "Aika-san helped me make sure they were the real deal, and she helped polish them."

"I see," she mused. "They're beautiful. I'm not sure why you're asking my help, instead of a professional jeweler, though."

"I remember all the glass-blown art you made when I was younger," he explained. "Including the jewelry. I wanted to do something like that for Sona-chan's engagement ring." He gestured at the gems. "Alexandrite and pearl are her birthstones, and since her birthday is coming up, I thought that would be a good time to give it to her."

"I see your point." Rio turned the gems over in her hands. "It's a sweet idea, son. Yes, I can help you with that, since your pyrokinesis isn't fine-tuned enough for this yet." She smiled. "Should I start planning on rings for anyone else?"

"Kaa-san!" Issei turned bright red. "That's not funny…"

"I'm not joking, Issei," his mother told him gently. "But I'll let it be for now." She set the gems down on the table. "What were you thinking?"

"Not sure," he admitted. "Maybe… crush some of the pearls and one of the alexandrite, mix them in with the glass for color, and use the biggest alexandrite as the main stone?" He shrugged helplessly. "I don't really know jewelry design terms."

"It's been awhile for me, but I think I remember the basics," Rio assured him.

Issei nodded, looking thoughtful.

"You should do something nice for your father in thanks for his help," she added. "And for Aika-chan. Maybe she'll be wearing one of these, too, someday?" She grinned as her son blushed.

"...maybe," he said in a soft voice. "And yeah, I should do something nice for them. And for…" He let out a breath, and chuckled self-effacingly. "...I should find out Kaori-san's birthday, too."

"August 6th," Rio said offhandedly. Issei spun to look at her in surprise, and her grin softened. "I asked her. Don't assume I don't notice things, Issei."

"I guess you do," he admitted, hanging his head in good-natured chagrin.

* * *

Sona let out a sigh of satisfaction. It had been nearly two weeks since the incident in Kyoto, and Golden Week was finally in sight. She let her mind wander for a moment, imagining her and Issei playing in the shallows next to one of her family's lake houses, taking advantage of the relative isolation. That playing in the surf would likely progress in earthier directions before long. No need for swimsuits if they were the only ones staying in the house, after all.

She felt arms slip around her waist, hands clasping just under her bellybutton. Issei's lips were warm on her neck. "Hi there," he murmured, pulling her close.

"Hi yourself," she replied, covering his hands with hers and nestling back against him. "I'm fairly certain this isn't a standard part of learning to cook."

"Not really," he admitted. "You look too good to resist, though." He kissed the back of her head. "Honestly, you've improved a lot. I think maybe you can try soloing next week."

"Better keep a backup recipe on hand," she said dryly. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, though."

"Hey, if cooking is the only thing you struggle with, you're light-years ahead of me," he told her sincerely.

"Don't sell yourself short, Issei-kun," she told him. "You - hey now," she added, playfully swatting his arms as he pressed meaningfully against her. Not that she had any real objections to it, but she also had plans for the evening. "We need to finish making dinner, remember?"

"And if I want _you_ for dinner?" he replied lightly, although the undercurrent of desire was painfully apparent. Still, he released her with clear reluctance, and reached for the knife and cutting board.

"After the movie," Sona promised. "I really want you to watch this one with me. I think you'll appreciate it." She smirked. "Think of me as dessert."

* * *

Rias made a pleased sound as she saved the spreadsheet and shut down her laptop. Asia contracting with her had been a net positive, she thought. Not quite as much as making her her Bishop would have been, but she fully understood the factors that made that impractical. Per her promise to Hyoudou-kun, she never let her be asked to do anything that would actually put her in danger (and, truth be told, she would have been disinclined to do so anyway).

All in all, it had been a very good month for her peerage, particularly with the windfall Gasper and Hyoudou-kun had brought in; even splitting that with Sona had put a very colorful feather in her cap. The Gremory heiress stretched and yawned, contemplating a quiet evening of binge-watching _Seigi no Se_. She began to rise from her desk, but froze as she saw a teleportation circle flare to life.

As the light faded away, Rias took stock of the new arrival. She was a beautiful, buxom woman with silver-white hair gathered into two short forelock-braids, and two long ones trailing down her back. Her cerise eyes were intelligent and observant, and she wore a serious expression with an underlying note of sympathy. She was clad in the uniform of a House of Gremory maid.

Rias knew better than most to not underestimate this woman, despite the servile attire. After all, she was an ultimate-class Devil, and had once been Serafall Sitri's only real rival for the title of Leviathan. Even now, as the Gremory head maid, she was the the family's de facto majordomo. Not even Rias's brother or father would trifle with her.

 _Especially_ not her brother.

After all, he happened to be married to her.

"Grayfia-neesama…?" she said warily.

"Rias-sama," Grayfia Lucifuge said solemnly, bowing respectfully.

"Can I fix you something?" Rias said quickly. There were any number of reasons why Grayfia might be here right now. It didn't necessarily mean…

...oh, who was she kidding?

"Thank you, no." Grayfia was definitely looking guilty. Not that Rias blamed her for why she was almost certainly here. No, it really should be otou-sama, but he had probably ducked out in a fit of guilt, or cowardice, or both. "I think you know why I'm here."

"Riser." Rias said the name as if it were an obscenity.

Grayfia nodded. "On second thought, perhaps you _had_ better fix us both a drink."

* * *

Notes:

RL strikes again, and I apologize once again for the long delay. Some of it was self-inflicted this time; I fell back into the time-eating, lightsaber-clashing glorious mess that is _SWTOR_. The original plan was to drop both this and Chapter 6 together, but Ch. 6 isn't _quite_ done by my self-imposed deadline (tonight). It's almost there, though, and it should be out by the end of this week (hopefully sooner), shortly thereafter followed by an interlude. Those will constitute the "season finale."

A large debt is owed to insidekyoto dot com, theonehitwander dot com, and differentville dot com's "18 Unusual, Non-Touristy Things To Do In Kyoto" article for fleshing out both places and activities.

In my headcanon, female!Vali's appearance is primarily based on Prinz Eugen from _Azur Lane_ , with some elements of female!Corrin from _Fire Emblem Fates_ mixed in (mostly the hairstyle/demeanor). (And should I ever actually Rule 34 Issei in the story, she'll look like the female Pokemon trainer from _Pokemon Sword and Shield_ … but with the standard proportions for a _DxD_ girl.)

The chapter title is taken from Rush's "Roll the Bones." In addition, several lines of dialogue throughout the chapter were lyrics taken verbatim from the song. The song that Issei associates with Ravel is Owl City's "Bombshell Blonde" (which, in turn, was inspired by a _Madoka Magica_ AMV featuring that song set to footage of Tomoe Mami… another drill-tailed blonde who specializes in explosions). Pretty much everything about Isabela and Mihae was made from whole cloth, in an effort to flesh out their characters.

There's a common theme to the names given to the original-character Devils in the story. See if you can figure it out…

Next Chapter: Chapter 6: Y' Wanna Be in the Show? C'mon, Baby, Let's Go!

" _I don't suppose we can convince you to end this gracefully."_


	9. Chapter 6: Y' Wanna Be In The Show?

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. (If I owned it, Issei would take more cues from Harry Dresden, and there would be more slow group power-walks while Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" played in the background.)

In addition, this fanfiction borrows elements from _Arifureta_ (property of Shirakome Ryo, J-Novel Club, Seven Seas Entertainment, White Fox, and Asread), _Babylon 5_ (property of Warner Brothers… and, sadly, not J. Michael Straczynski anymore), _Recovery of an MMO Junkie_ (property of Kokuyō Rin, Comico, and ), and _Great Teacher Onizuka_ (property of Fujisawa Tohru, _Weekly Shonen Magazine_ , Animax, and Fuji Television).

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Creative liberties taken with science/magic/physics warning. Fluff/silliness warning. Violence warning. Complete departure from canon warning. Author's musical tastes warning.

* * *

Chapter 6: Y' Wanna Be In The Show? C'mon, Baby, Let's Go!

* * *

"It's so quiet tonight," Reya commented. She didn't look like she objected, though, judging from the way her thumbs were dancing across her phone's screen.

"Yes, it is," Tsubaki agreed. She eyed the clock, and after a moment, said, "If things are still this quiet in thirty minutes, we'll adjourn for the night. If they pick up before then… Tomoe, you'll make a Gusto run."

"Right," the Knight agreed amiably. "Usual orders for everyone?"

Tsubaki opened her mouth to answer, but the Council office door was suddenly thrown open, grabbing everyone's attention. Kiba Yuuto burst into the Student Council room, gasping for breath and looking panicked. "Where's Sona-kaichou?"

"It's Thursday night," Tsubaki said, rising from the desk and approaching her boyfriend. "What's wrong, Yuuto-kun?"

"Thursday night… guess that answers where Hyoudou-kun is too, then," Kiba muttered. "Tsubaki-san, buchou wanted me to ask Sona-kaichou about something…"

As Tsubaki and Kiba spoke urgently to each other, Aika turned to Tsubasa, eyebrows raised. "What's the deal with Thursday nights?"

"Oh, right, you weren't here when that started," Tsubasa answered with a grin. "Back when Ise-chan was doing unofficial IT for us, they had an indefinite contract to spend Thursday nights together. It was ostensibly for the computer projects he was working on for the school, but they'd already gotten to know each other pretty well by then, and they were already halfway in love at that point. So Thursdays were their excuse to spend time together. Anyway, when he beat her at chess and became a Devil, they kept that going as their weekly 'date night.'" Tsubasa cocked her head, looking thoughtful, and then amended, "Well, they've _tried_. Stupid shit tends to keep happening on Thursdays."

"All right." Tsubaki sounded defeated. "This sounds serious enough I'll have to call kaichou."

"Hope Hyoudou-kun's at least wearing pants this time," Momo said with a smirk.

"We _all_ hope that he is," Tsubaki answered in a dust-dry voice. She summoned up a communications circle.

"Speak for yourself," Tsubasa stage-whispered to Aika, who didn't bother to stifle her snicker.

* * *

"I don't believe you," Issei said flatly as he dished up the stir-fry. "That movie's just a myth, right?"

"I promise you, it's real," Sona replied, taking the plate he handed her. The two of them carried their dinner and drinks out to the living room. "And it's every bit as bad as the stories say." She walked over to the DVD rack, plucking a case from it, and showed him the cover.

Issei eyed it critically, cocking his head quizzically as he read the tagline. "'The end of a season means the beginning of a new one.' Talk about stating the obvious." He looked at his fiancee with surprise. "Why do you even _have_ this movie?"

"Because onee-sama got very drunk one night… or very high on sugar and caffeine. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference with her," Sona replied, rolling her eyes in exasperation at the memory. "She'd apparently gotten the movie from a contractor who claimed it was a masterpiece, and insisted Rias and I watch it with her." She snorted. "When it was done, she wanted to go back and turn him into an ice sculpture."

"And she pawned it off on you?" he asked curiously, handing the case back.

"Actually, I offered to take it off her hands," Sona admitted. "There's something almost mesmerizing about how ineptly made it is. You'll see." She opened it, popping the disc into the player.

Issei watched her do so, and his eyes stayed on her as she walked back to the couch. He didn't know if Sona knew how much more relaxed and smooth her movements were around him now. Or maybe he just knew her well enough to tell by now. In either case, she moved with a water-like grace that made her a treat to the eyes, particularly in what she was currently wearing. Those sleep shorts were essentially glorified boyshort panties, and combined with the thin white camisole to form an outfit that was technically modest but potentially quite erotic. It was definitely working.

She cocked her head as she felt his eyes on her. "What?"

"Just thinking how graceful you are," Issei said, reaching for her hand.

Sona interlaced her fingers with his, letting him pull her down into his lap. "You mean you're undressing me with your eyes," she corrected, her smile showing that she had no objections whatsoever.

"Well, you _are_ the most beautiful girl at school," he grinned.

"Just so we're clear, then." They kissed briefly, Sona breaking contact before it got too heated. "Flattery won't keep me from turning the movie on, anata," she said lightly.

"You'll forgive me if I'm more interested in you than the movie," he said with a smile.

"I suppose that's allowable," she said in a tone of mock-consideration. She was about to say more, but her expression soured slightly as she saw a communications circle appear next to her head. "Perfect."

"It's _Thursday_ ," Issei pointed out, not quite able to keep a whine out of his voice.

"I'm well aware, and so is Tsubaki," Sona sighed, mentally "accepting" the call. "She wouldn't do this if it wasn't important. Would you, Tsubaki?"

"Not if I could help it," Tsubaki's voice replied. "I'm sorry, but Yuuto-kun just told me this. Grayfia Lucifuge-sama contacted Rias-sempai tonight, and said Riser Phenex plans to visit her tomorrow at school regarding 'something important.' I'm pretty sure he just moved the wedding date up."

"Dammit," Sona said softly. "All right. Did he say what time?"

"After school," Tsubaki reported. "Rias-sempai wants you there for moral support, and so she can make the formal arrangements for assistance right away."

"Very well." Sona let out a resigned sigh. "Have Kiba-kun assure her we'll be present. Thank you, Tsubaki."

"Sorry to interrupt your evening, kaichou. Yours too, Issei-san." The communications circle winked out.

"Grayfia Lucifuge?" Issei asked curiously.

"Rias's sister-in-law," Sona explained. "She's the House of Gremory's head maid, but she's also one of the most powerful Devils alive. She and onee-sama were rivals for the Leviathan title. She's nicknamed 'the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation,' and she lives up to it…" She shivered. "Things are moving faster than I expected."

"Hey." He squeezed her hand, offering a smile. "We'll get through this."

"Yes, you're right." She returned the smile, though it was still shadowed with concern, and squeezed back. "That still doesn't get you out of watching the movie, though."

"What about making out during the movie?" he said with a slight grin, as much to distract her as out of desire.

"Well, I suppose that's part of the cinematic experience," Sona answered with a smirk. "Let me at least get the movie going first, though." She selected PLAY.

Two minutes later:

"A papier-mache MRI machine? A _papier-mache MRI machine_?!" Issei repeated, staring incredulously at the TV. "I've heard of low-budget movies, but this is _no_ budget…"

"Just keep watching," Sona said in a satisfied tone, resting a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

"A papier-mache MRI machine," Kaori repeated disbelievingly.

"I'm serious," Issei insisted. The two of them were walking behind Sona and Tsubaki. The Sitri heiress's peerage was en route to the ORC clubhouse. "You _have_ to see this movie. The sheer level of incompetence - Sona-san was exactly right, it's mesmerizing."

"And this was actually shown in theaters?" The Knight looked even more skeptical now.

"Yes, it was," Sona said over her shoulder.

"He watched that with you, and he's still here?" Tsubaki's voice was dry-humored. "It _must_ be true love, kaichou."

"Well, she sat with me through _Returner_ before we even got together, so fair's fair," Issei commented with a chuckle.

The amiable commentary petered out as Sona's peerage entered the clubhouse. Rias, her servants, and Asia were waiting, as were two people Issei hadn't met before. Pensive expressions were the ORC's uniform of the day, and even Rias could barely muster a wan smile of greeting. "Thank you for coming," she said, her tone sincere but tired.

"Of course," Sona told her. She turned towards her peerage, but looked specifically at Issei. "I believe most of you have met them before, but allow me to introduce Sirzechs, the Maou Lucifer and Rias's older brother, and his wife, Grayfia Lucifuge." She gave the Lucifer and his spouse a respectful bow. "Lucifer-sama, allow me to to introduce the newest members of my peerage."

"Please, Sona-san," Sirzechs said amiably, making a go-ahead gesture. He was a handsome man in what looked like his early-mid-twenties, with shoulder-length crimson hair and teal eyes. He and Rias greatly resembled each other, Issei thought. He wore an impeccably-tailored black suit with a muted gold waistcoat, white Oxford shirt, and olive-drab necktie. For the effective head of state for Devilkind, he carried himself with remarkable casualness, but there was an undeniable aura of power surrounding him.

The woman beside him was stunning, coming close to (in Issei's opinion) rivaling Sona's beauty. She had solemn garnet eyes and long silver hair, plaited into a pair of short forelock-braids and another pair of long, thick braids coming down to her waist. She wore an immaculate blue-and-white maid's uniform and headdress, but despite the servile attire, she projected an aura of authority and power that rivaled that of the man beside her.

Sona was speaking, gesturing first at Aika. "This is Kiryuu Aika-san, my new Pawn." Aika bowed politely, and Sirzechs gave her a nod and a smile. "I'm pleased to meet you," he said. "I hear you're quite the geokinetic."

"The Lucifer is too kind," Aika half-mumbled, her cheeks slightly pink.

"This is Murayama Kaori-san, my new Knight," Sona said next. She gestured to Kaori, and once again an exchange of bow and nod took place. "The Kyoto Faction has given her the Shinto Holy Sword Yozoragiri to wield," she added.

"I'm pleased to meet you as well," Sirzechs said, smiling. "I'm glad you're wielding that on _our_ side!" Beside him, Grayfia's expression flickered. If Issei hadn't known better, he could have sworn that she'd rolled her eyes.

"I do my best, Maou-sama," Kaori said softly. Her own face was slightly red.

Finally, Sona's eyes flicked to Issei's, and even the blind would have noticed the way her expression and tone softened. "And this is Hyoudou Issei-kun, my new Rook… and my fiance."

It was Issei's turn to go red. He turned even more so as Sirzechs actually became animated. " _You're_ the one! Ajuka's been talking about you, and what you've been doing with your Sacred Gear. So you've really worked out how to make a magical railgun?"

"Kind of. A certain kind of magical railgun, anyway," Issei said, shifting uncomfortably. "Ajuka-sama is being very charitable."

"Not so much. Trust me, I've known him and Serafall since we were kids. The stories I could - owwwwwww!" He cut his eyes to Grayfia, who was pinching his cheek and pulling it like Play-Doh. "Grayfiaaaaa," he whined.

"Remember why we're here, Lucifer-sama," Grayfia said in a level voice. "You and Issei-kun can play later."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," Sirzechs conceded glumly. He cleared his throat, straightening back up. "Anyway. Sona-san, thank you for coming, you and your peerage. We'll get this business out of the way as soon as possible." He looked over at Rias, his expression now guilty. "I'm sorry, Rias."

"It's hardly _your_ fault, onii-sama," Rias said, shaking her head. "I know exactly who I hold responsible."

Before anyone else could speak, a teleportation circle flared to life in the middle of the room. Issei had become familiar with the Sitri and Gremory crests, but hadn't studied any other of the other Pillars' crests yet. So, then, this had to be Phenex. He wondered if Ravel would be accompanying her brother, and tried to shove the thought away.

The light from the teleportation circle faded, and the ORC office suddenly felt very crowded. Fifteen women and one man were now standing in the center of the room, with the women clustered around the man like a royal court. They were all beautiful women, and most of them were dressed in a fashion that was at least slightly fetishistic. The exception was Ravel, who wore a frilly dress similar to the one she'd worn in Kyoto. He caught her eye and offered her a wan smile, which she returned, and he exchanged nods with Isabela and Mihae.

The scent of yakitori skewers had suddenly appeared in the room. He wondered why.

The man was lean and handsome, with stylishly-cut blond hair and dark blue eyes. His features bore a striking similarity to Ravel's, and he wore a burgundy suit with a half-unbuttoned white Oxford shirt underneath the blazer. Despite his good looks, his expression - arrogant, lazy, self-impressed - was very off-putting. Aika had been right, Issei reflected. He hadn't even opened his mouth yet, but he was coming off as a jerk.

Then he did open his mouth, and it was confirmed. "Rias," the man said, his tone expectant, as if waiting for the ORC president to run to him and present her belly like a loyal dog. (That was an insult to dogs, really, Issei thought wryly.) "I'm here."

"Yes, I see that, Riser," Rias replied sardonically. "Let's get this over with so you can leave."

Riser Phenex just smiled lazily. "That sharp tongue of yours is charming as always. I'll put it to better use soon enough." (Kaori glanced Issei's direction, giving him a "did he just say what I think he said?" look. Issei nodded and grimaced.) He shifted his eyes towards Sona, and the smile turned into a smirk. "Sona. Surprised you could pull your nose out of a book. What are you doing here?"

"Offering a friend support," Sona said levelly. "I wouldn't imagine that's something you're familiar with."

Riser scowled momentarily before his smirk reasserted itself. "I've been hearing rumors about you. They say someone's caught the bookworm's eye."

"I'm not surprised," Sona replied. "I'm still waiting to hear how it's any of your business." Issei watched her from out of the corner of his eye, tensing in case Riser did… something. He really didn't like the way the other man was talking about her, even if there was no sign of sexual attraction.

The high-class Devil started to add something, then his eyes fell upon Asia, and he looked her up and down. "Hello there."

"Riser, this is Hyoudou Asia, my contracted magician." Rias put a subtle emphasis on the last two words.

"Pleased to meet you," Asia said in a politely neutral tone.

"Mmm. Charmed, my dear." Riser's smile widened, and he reached up a hand to caress Asia's face.

"Please don't touch me." Asia took a step back. There was slightly more steel in her tone now.

Riser's expression immediately clouded over. "What did you say?"

Asia gulped, but stood her ground. "I said, please don't touch me."

Riser scowled. The hand reaching up to caress Asia stilled in midair, then reared back for a slap. The hand swung down hard, and rebounded just as hard from the magical shield Asia manifested into its path. Her expression was pale with fear, but still determined. The air around her began distorting, ever so slightly.

"Riser!" Rias snapped, at the same time that Issei started to lunge forward. Sona held up a hand, arresting his movement, and she gave him a sympathetic-but-firm look. Rias was still speaking. "She's a contracted magician, not one of my servants. You know they're off limits."

"What's the difference?" Riser's tone was that of a spoiled child denied a sweet, and ready to break something in response. Issei recognized in it the same I'm-above-consequences attitude Raynare had flaunted, and his hands clenched into fists. This time, before he could move, both Sona and Kaori grabbed his wrists.

Riser noticed the motion, and turned to look at them, smirking. "Got a problem, kid? She your sweetheart?"

"I think my sister asked you to keep your hands off her," Issei said, struggling to keep his voice level. Blue-white sparks began dancing along his knuckles. Both Sona and Kaori winced, but held on.

Riser snorted. "I'm a scion of the House of Phenex. The complaints of reincarnate trash don't matter to me."

"Like I care," Issei shot back. "Any big brother worth a damn would tell you to back off." He snorted, and assuming Sona's earlier tone, said, "I wouldn't imagine that's something you're familiar with." Out of the corner of his eye, he caught exasperation and approval mingling briefly on Sona's face before she smoothed her expression back into impassivity. He also sensed Kaori and Tsubasa not bothering to keep similar reactions off their faces.

Riser's nostrils flared, and he cut his eyes to Sona, sneering. "Keep your _servant_ under control, Sona."

"Issei-kun. Calmly, now." Sona gave him a gently quelling look, holding his gaze until his flames died away, then turned towards Riser. Her tone and expression were markedly chillier. "I apologize for my Rook's outburst, Riser. But I agree with his sentiment. Asia-chan asked you to refrain from touching her."

Riser snorted. "Why's it matter to you? He's just a servant." Issei marveled at how Riser's own peerage remained impassive to the goings-on, particularly to Riser's disdain for… well, anyone that wasn't him.

"Because he's my _fiance_ ," Sona said, her tone as chill as the ocean depths. "Which makes that girl my future sister-in-law. I trust you'll see the wisdom in letting her alone now."

" _Fiance_?!" Riser's sneer finally disappeared, only to be replaced by affronted ire. "You stuck to that stupid chess game rule, and _let_ this happen? A low-born reincarnate?"

"And despite his outburst, I find him a far better man than you, even on his worst days." Sona's voice was a knife carved from ice, driving in to flay his sense of superiority. "Consider that."

"Enough, Riser-kun," Sirzechs said. For the first time, genuine authority rang through in his voice. "The rules of a magician contract are clear." "You should know that" hung unsaid in the air. "If Asia-san wants to be left alone, do it."

Grayfia cleared her throat daintily. Despite the demureness of the action, the high-class Devils in the room immediately turned their attention to her, and the rising irritation in the room dulled back to a simmer. Such was the reputation of the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation that even Riser didn't dare vex her. "Enough, please. Let's begin the negotiations."

"It hardly seems necessary," Riser groused, dropping onto one of the couches without asking. "You have less than half a peerage, and mine is experienced in the ways of Rating Games." His aplomb seemed to reassert itself, and he smiled at Rias. "It'll be better for you to just submit now."

"I'll take my chances," Rias answered stonily.

Riser shrugged, his smile verging on a sneer again, and made another gesture. It was almost as if a switch had been flipped. Apparently, he only had two settings: affronted ire at being "disrespected" and blithe condescension. Ravel stepped into view, and she gave Issei a look that mingled chiding and admiration before clearing her throat. "I'm Ravel Phenex, Bishop of Riser Phenex, and I'll be negotiating on behalf of the House of Phenex. Onii-sama has granted me free rein." A shadow flickered over her expression for a moment.

"I understand," Sona told her, stepping forward to stand beside Rias. When she resumed speaking,it was in an atypically formal fashion. "I, Sona, Princess-designate of the House of Sitri, wish to enter into a temporary piece-loan arrangement with Rias, Duchess-designate of the House of Gremory, for the purposes of this Rating Game." The Sitri heiress held out a hand, and a leather-bound tome appeared in it. She flipped it open to a bookmarked page, and offered it to Ravel. "I reference the match between Sineval Purson and Akel Stolas as precedent for this arrangement."

"I see." Ravel perused the page, her brows furrowing in thought. Issei found it cute, and kicked himself mentally for even thinking it. "Interesting choice for precedent, Sona-san."

"It seemed relevant," Sona replied.

"It is," Ravel agreed. "Very well. But please realize that citing _Purson v. Stolas_ opens the field for our House to impose conditions as the challenged."

Sona and Rias nodded. The latter said, "We understand."

Issei glanced Riser's direction as the negotiations continued. The high-class Devil was lounging on the couch, apparently bored now that he wasn't the center of attention. On a whim, he narrowed his eyes slightly, attempting to subtly reach into the phone. Easy enough with Unknown Dictator.

He started browsing through the phone, careful to keep its touchscreen from waking up. There… was a lot of porn on it. A lot of redheads who resembled Rias, to one degree or another. Also, a lot of nudes of his peerage. Even the girls in middle-school gym uniforms. None of Ravel, though, a fact that Issei was quietly grateful for.

Ravel cleared her throat, and that jarred Issei out of his window-shopping mode. He carefully withdrew from Riser's phone.

Ravel pursed her lips for a moment, thinking. "Rias-san, I assume your contracted magician will be filling in as your Bishop for the purposes of this Rating Game?"

Asia nodded, and Rias stated, "She's agreed to do so, yes."

"Very well, then," Ravel acknowledged with a nod. "First, inasmuch as onii-sama's peerage is experienced in Rating Games, Sona-san's peerage is more experienced in actual combat, and bringing Rias-san's peerage to full parity would give it a distinct advantage over us. We will not dispute matching numbers with your Knight and Rook, but ask that you restrict your loan of Pawns to four."

Another exchange of looks passed between Rias and Sona. Neither looked surprised. The Sitri heiress answered, "We find this acceptable."

Ravel nodded. "Second, there is the matter of compensation the House of Sitri will owe the House of Phenex should we triumph."

"The usual rate and duration?" Sona asked.

"That seems reasonable to me," Ravel agreed.

Kaori and Issei glanced at Tsubaki, who murmured, "It's a sort of security deposit that's required when one House supports another in a Rating Game against a third house. Typically, it takes the form political favors or a financial penalty owed for a set duration." They nodded, quietly thanking the Queen for the explanation.

"Third point. Sona-san, we would like you to refrain from actively aiding in strategy for this match," Ravel stated. "This is not intended as an insult - quite the opposite. Your assistance would, again, give Rias-san's peerage an unfair advantage."

Sona's brows furrowed. She didn't look surprised, Issei thought, but she did look displeased. Finally, she said, "Very well. I trust you'll not restrict me from visiting my fiance during the training, though."

"Of course not." Ravel pinked slightly. In that moment, both she and Sona were very cute - maybe too cute - to Issei, and he had to look out the window to distract himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he sensed Tsubasa and Aika looking curiously at him.

"What date for the match?" Ravel asked. Her brief, slight lapse in composure was but a memory now.

"There is a short school holiday called Golden Week that is about to start," Rias said. "I would like us to have most of that week for training, and to commence the match that Saturday."

"Seven days from now," Sona put in helpfully.

"Do you have objections to a nighttime match?" Ravel asked thoughtfully. Rias shook her head, and Ravel suggested, "Then why don't we commence Saturday morning, at 12:01 a.m. local time?"

"Fine with me," Rias agreed.

"I believe that's everything?" Sona asked, holding out a hand for the book.

Ravel snapped it shut with a flourish, passing the book back. "Yes, I - "

"No. That's not everything." Riser's voice was unexpected, and everyone in the room whipped around to stare at him.

"Onii-sama," Ravel said in a displeased tone, "you agreed to let me conduct - "

Riser waved her off, and pointed at Issei. "I want him."

"You what?" Rias, Sona, and Issei chorused, looking perplexed.

"He has a mouth on him, and he has no respect for his betters," Riser grated out. "I intend to see that he learns it."

"You mean he has no respect for _you_ ," Rias said with a snort. "There's a difference."

"You're willing to trade one of your Rooks for Issei-kun?" Sona said slowly, both eyebrows raised. "I refuse. Not even both of your Rooks would be a fair trade."

"Then Rias doesn't get to have your help in the match," Riser countered. "I refuse any such agreement."

"One moment, please…" Ravel held up a hand, and walked over to her brother. The two of them talked quietly but intently, Ravel displeased and Riser completely uncaring about his disruptiveness.

"I'm not seriously going to be traded to him, am I?" Issei said carefully, trying to ignore the sudden spike of icy dread.

"No, that won't happen," Sona said reassuringly. Her expression wasn't exactly certain, though.

Finally, Ravel returned, looking pleasantly surprised. (Riser did not, but he also seemed bored now, which suggested he wouldn't interfere further.) "We have a modified demand. If Rias-san's peerage loses, Hyoudou Issei-san will be traded to my mother's peerage. She has a full set of Evil Pieces, but they are effectively unused. There'll be no interference in his personal affairs, up to and including his relationship with Sona-san, but he will be okaa-sama's retainer and be obliged to follow her commands."

Both Issei and Sona relaxed. The latter asked, "I trust your mother will be open to negotiating a trade again at some future point, should this come about?"

"I imagine she would be open to reasonable offers," Ravel said. She, too, seemed relieved at having headed off a potentially nasty situation.

Sona looked at Rias and nodded. The Gremory heiress said, "We find these terms acceptable."

"Then we are in agreement," Ravel said with a nod. She turned her gaze towards Sirzechs. "Lucifer-sama, would you be willing to witness our pact?"

"Of course," Sirzechs said calmly. He cleared his throat, and spoke formally. "I, Sirzechs of the House of Gremory, Maou Lucifer of Devilkind, act as witness for this pact. Let those who break it do so at their own peril."

"So be it," Sona, Rias, and Ravel chorused. Riser simply snorted and turned away.

It was, Issei found, a surprisingly brief affair. Sona, Rias, and Ravel simply restated the terms that they'd agreed to, and named the pieces being temporarily traded to the Gremory heiress. It was interesting to hear that Saji was referred to as a "Pawn of Four," and that he was referred to as a "Rook by Mutation Piece." As they repeated the opening words of agreement, the crimson light flared brightly again, then faded entirely.

"Our business is concluded, then," Ravel said, offering the heiresses and the Lucifer - and, of course, the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation - respectful bows. She hesitated, then nodded at Issei again, giving him that same wan smile from earlier. He returned it.

Riser stood again, not bothering to make his farewells. Instead, he stalked to the center of the room, pointedly looking out the window as Ravel formed the teleportation circle. He continued to look away huffily even as they disappeared.

Once they were gone, Rias let out a sigh of relief. "Glad that's over."

"So am I," Sirzechs said with a sigh of his own. He sat down on one of the couches, and looked towards Grayfia. "Grayfia, we're off the clock now…"

Grayfia gave him a longsuffering look, but sat beside him, her posture relaxing fractionally. As she sat, her maid's outfit morphed and changed, replaced with a stylish black-and-gold blouse and long black skirt.

Rias watched their interplay with good-natured amusement. She looked concernedly at Asia, who still had her magical shield up. "Are you all right?"

Asia let out a breath and let it disappear. "Yes. I'm sorry about that. He reminded me a little of Sellzen."

"Yes. I can definitely see how you'd feel that way," Sona said sympathetically. She turned a gently reproachful look upon her fiance. "Much as I share the urge to knock Riser's teeth out, Issei-kun, please control yourself better next time. Rias wasn't going to let him do anything to Asia-chan."

"Understood." Issei didn't feel particularly remorseful about it, but he could see Sona's point. She eyed him for a moment, gauging his reaction, before nodding.

"No, indeed," Rias agreed. "Contracted magicians are exempt from the traditions regarding one's wife's peerage. I don't know where he gets the idea that rules don't apply to him."

"So this is a new development, then?" Tsubaki asked dubiously.

"He's always had that sense of entitlement, but it seems to have spiraled out of control in recent years," Sirzechs said. "The last time I saw him was three years ago, just after he had started participating in Rating Games. He wasn't all that much better, but he wouldn't have tried that with Asia-san. This recent thing is… troubling."

"Yes, indeed." Sona's expression showed her agreement. "I suspect the reason he wasn't worse behaved is Ravel-san's presence. The fact that she was negotiating on his behalf suggests that his family is aware of things."

"Is she really that trusted by them?" Kaori said in surprise. "I think she's younger than Ise and I are…"

"She is," Sona confirmed by a nod. "She'll likely be taking over the family's business dealings once she comes of age. We can probably take her decisions as representing the feelings of the House of Phenex as a whole." She shook her head in sympathy for the blonde girl. "She's probably at least half in his peerage to try and keep him from going off half-cocked. I don't envy her."

Issei whistled softly at that. "She's a smart girl, for sure. Tough, too. We saw that in Kyoto."

"Indeed." Sona looked towards Rias. "We should discuss the terms for my peerage's support."

"Please, step into my office," Rias said with a sardonic smile, gesturing towards the couches. "She turned towards Akeno. "You and the others may retire for the evening. Have some fun. There won't be much fun involved with next week."

Akeno inclined her head, and she left the room with Koneko and Kiba. The latter lingered outside the doorway, clearly waiting for Tsubaki.

"Tsubaki, you and the others can take the night off as well. Kaori, Saji-kun, please be ready to leave by…?" Sona looked at Rias, raising an eyebrow.

"Tomorrow afternoon would be best," Rias said. "Meet back here by five in the afternoon. My family has a mountain villa we can use for training."

"Five in the afternoon, then," Sona agreed, sitting on the couch opposite Sirzechs. "Ah, Issei-kun, please stick around. This will involve you."

"Sure," Issei said with a nod. Somehow, he wasn't very surprised. "Ah, should Saji and Kaori-san stay, too? If this is about the Rating Game…"

"It's not. And this won't concern them, at least not directly," Sona told him. She gestured to the spot next to her, and the Rook joined her on the couch after bidding his peerage-mates goodbye.

"Call me if you need me, kaichou," Tsubaki said. Her eyes had already drifted towards Kiba, and the two of them walked off the moment she left the room. Sona's peerage dispersed as well, although Tsubasa and Kaori cast curious looks back at Issei. All he could do was shrug; he wasn't sure himself what was up.

"So… how, exactly, am I involved in this?" Issei asked curiously. "Or, maybe, why is a better question…"

"Because Sona is staking most of her favors on you, Hyoudou-kun," Rias answered with a smile.

Issei gave her a bemused look. "For developing the Summoning App? That's gonna take longer than I expected…"

"Ajuka tells me that's often the case with R&D," Sirzechs said. "It's impressive what you've managed to accomplish so far. That you've actually managed to summon Sona-san with it…"

"I was stressed and in pain and desperate, though," Issei pointed out. "That's not a very useful baseline for an app."

"Don't sell yourself short, anata," Sona told him. She squeezed his knee. "The fact is that you _were_ able to summon me through that app. The degree to which will and desire fuel Devil magic make the app viable for our usage. It'll just take further research and refinement to make it something usable for contractors and other supernatural factions."

Rias grinned. "Lucky you, Hyoudou-kun. Seventeen years old, and you're getting a research grant."

Issei whistled softly, and smiled slightly. "And I'm not even tenured. Okay, I'll take it."

"I'm afraid that asking for co-financing from the House of Gremory is just half of it, though," Sona stated. "Onee-sama will do what she can, of course, but shepherding Issei-kun's career along would be even smoother with _three_ Maou keeping an eye on him."

"Serafall and Ajuka aren't enough?" Sirzechs asked with a good-natured smirk. "I know he's made a good impression on them, and that does carry weight with me. Let me mull that over. At the very least, all things considered, I won't block any moves they make on his behalf."

Sona pursed her lips, and nodded. "All right, Sirzechs-sama. I can live with that for now."

"Honestly, I'm not sure you even _need_ me, Issei-kun," Sirzechs added. "Between your performance with Sona-san's peerage against Sellzen, and you two's actions in Kyoto, _and_ what you've been managing with your Sacred Gear? You're already on the fast track." He grinned. "Show me your railgun attack, though, and that'll be another point in your favor."

"Sure! Um, that is, if it's okay with…" Issei glanced at Sona

His fiancee snorted gently. "Go ahead, then. We'll be discussing details here. I'll call you when we're done, and we can meet at Gusto."

"I'll go along, Sona-san, to make sure our boys don't get into trouble." Grayfia rose gracefully.

"Thank you, Grayfia-sama," Sona said, giving her a respectful nod.

"Even better," Sirzechs enthused. "Shall we?"

Issei bounced to his feet. "Sure! Ah, let me grab my bag, all my ammo's in there…"

-xxxx-

Sirzechs let out a soft whistle. "That's not bad at all. And that's just with the hairpins you had in your bag?" He waved a hand at the teacup-sized holes Issei had left cored through the brick wall.

"It seemed more discreet than lugging bundles of roofing nails around school," Issei said with a laugh. "We keep a stash of stuff out here for training, so I'll show you how it works with those." He moved some rubble to reveal an old cooler, and pulled some bundles of nails out.

As he did so, he looked at the Lucifer. For being the effective ruler of all Devils, the guy was pretty easy to talk to. Just like with Serafall, it was easy to forget that he was literally centuries old. "Is this really that impressive? I mean, I've seen Rias-sempai's Power of Destruction before…"

"It actually is," Sirzechs told him. "It's true that there are a lot of magical techniques that are flashier and more powerful. But the fact that you've innovated this is remarkable, and opens the door for other developments. And Ajuka has shown me video of you using the nails. I've been wanting to see _that_."

"I think you're also able to make better use of it than others might," Grayfia said thoughtfully. It was the first time she'd spoken since they'd arrived at the ruined mansion. "You're using both electrokinesis and your Sacred Gear to control the projectiles, but the former is mostly for the acceleration and punch. The Sacred Gear is what you use for aim and stabilization, right?"

"Yeah," Issei agreed with a nod. "It's not quite to the guided-missile stage yet, though." He grinned at her. "It took me a few days to really realize that's what I was doing. You figured that out just by watching, Grayfia-sama?"

"She's one of the Underworld's most powerful magicians, Issei-kun," Sirzechs replied, his voice full of pride in his wife. "She knows what to look for in magical techniques."

"You're closer than you might think to that 'guided-missile,'" Sirzech's Queen told Issei, a slight gleam of approval in her eyes. "And even as matters stand, you're still much more accurate than someone just using electrokinesis would be."

Issei nodded his thanks, and concentrated slightly, affixing several bundles of nails to his arms. He stepped back out towards the wall, and made finger-guns again. As he did, he summoned his electrokinesis, and the first two bundles of nails broke apart and rotated around his hands. Wind and air distortion began to skirl around him, more strongly than before, and he called out, "Stay back!"

Grayfia nodded, and Sirzechs gave him a thumbs up.

Issei brought his arms down, leveling them with a flourish and "firing," and the roofing nails shot forward at somewhere around Mach 5. He was aiming for the holes he'd punched through before. As a result of this, not only did the nails leave platter-sized holes in the wall this time, but the spiderwebbing of damage spread rapidly enough through the wall that it began crumbling.

Issei repeated this until his "ammo" was all gone, and ten meters' worth of wall was quietly smoking rubble. Finally letting his electrokinesis die away, he turned slowly back towards the two senior Devils. "So, um, that's the full-powered version. I think Ajuka-sama clocked it at Mach 5 or more."

Sirzechs looked… well, he looked like a kid who'd just seen his first professionally-done fireworks display. "That was amazing. It sure made mincemeat of that wall." He grinned. "I just wish I'd been able see what you pulled off in Kyoto."

"Gauss Dragon is gonna need a _lot_ more work." Issei rubbed the back of his head. "It only worked as well as it did because Sona-chan and Ravel-san were there to help me aim, and they and Mihae-san had to overcharge my electrokinesis, too."

"This was quite impressive enough," Grayfia told the young Rook.

"Well… thank you, both of you." Issei reddened slightly. "Hearing that from the two of you makes me feel like this is actually something cool."

"Rest assured, Sirzechs-sama will approve of anything that punches holes in walls," Grayfia said in an affectionately arch tone. Sirzechs jokingly cringed… well, it looked like it was _mostly_ jokingly, anyway. Issei wondered if he and Sona would resemble them after a few centuries.

There were worse things to aspire to, anyway.

* * *

"You really won't be around? Not after tomorrow night?" Katase Yui stared at her best friend in disbelief.

"It wasn't my first choice either," Kaori sighed. "It's some stupid Devil thing. Some stupid shit with Rias-sempai's family, and kaichou is obligated to support her. At least the accommodations should be nice."

"At least you're going somewhere." Katase stretched and yawned. "I'm stuck here, helping onee-chan with the new students." She cocked her head. "So is Hyoudou gonna be there?"

"Of course he's gonna be there," Kaori replied with a chuckle. "He and the kaichou will probably be treating it like a mini-honeymoon." It was interesting how the thought of that didn't sting as much. Maybe it was a sign of how she was coming to accept the possibility of having something like that with Issei too.

Katase was silent, and Kaori looked at her friend. "What?"

"Just… it's interesting, isn't it?" Katase shrugged. "Maybe you and Nagahama are right, maybe he's gotten himself under control." She smirked. "Or maybe the kaichou's keeping him under control somehow."

"I kinda think he has," Kaori said carefully. She had to be careful here; this was the first real sign that Katase was actually starting to accept Issei being on the level. "I guess it's both, really. He was looking for something to balance him out, I suppose."

"I wouldn't have believed that before Nagahama joined his club," Katase went on. "It's funny, when you think about it: he had to become a Devil to learn how to behave." She chuckled.

"It's more complicated than that… but yeah," Kaori admitted, snickering softly. "I think he's going out of his way to show Nagahama that he's harmless. He wants her to convince the rest of the club he's not up to anything."

"I guess that makes sense. Heck, if he keeps this up, _I_ might be convinced." Katase smirked suddenly. "So. You said there's someone you have your eye on. Is it Saji-kun? He's kinda cute."

"I'd have to square off against Nimura and Hanakai-san to get a shot at him," Kaori snorted. "Besides, he's cute, but he's a bit of a stuck-up jerk, I'm finding. Not that much of one, but enough to be a turn-off. They can have him."

"Then who is it?" Katase pressed. "Not Kiba-kun, right? I've heard he and the fukukaichou are seeing each other."

"They're starting to," the Knight acknowledged. "I'm not even sure it's gonna go anywhere. Let me sit on it until after Golden Week, and then I'll tell you."

"Sure," Katase said dubiously. For a moment she watched Kaori, as if trying to puzzle something out, then stood up. "Well, we've got tonight, wanna catch a movie?"

"You are _on_ ," Kaori agreed, and she fished out her phone, pulling up the local listings.

* * *

"This is _not_ how I expected tonight to go," Saji said glumly. Issei could only nod in agreement. This wasn't what he'd had in mind for the first Saturday of Golden Week, either.

Upon their arrival, Rias had dinner ready for them. It was only after that, when everyone was full and complacent, that she'd announced that everyone would be spending the night out in the forest in pairs. "Endurance and camaraderie training," she'd called it. Worse, Sona had agreed to it, seeming almost serene about not having Issei with her that evening.

Much as he hated to admit it, there was some sense in assigning Saji as his partner. He got along, more or less, with Rias's peerage. Even Akeno's endless teasing was (generally) good-natured. And he and Kaori were… friends. (Even now, his mind shied away from contemplating that further.) Saji really was the teammate that he clashed with the most.

"Can't believe we're out here," the Pawn was complaining, and Issei suppressed a grimace. He didn't want to be out here either. But he was pretty sure that mentioning where he _did_ want to be would drive Saji further into a sulk.

"Me, either," he said carefully. Maybe that would be safe.

Saji's face took on a slight pout, but he didn't say anything else. Silence reigned for several minutes.

"It's not fair." It was surprising that Saji broke the silence. What _was_ surprising was that his tone wasn't sulky. Or, at least, he was trying to keep it from being that. "It's just not fair." He let out a sigh.

"Yeah, well…" All Issei could do was shrug. It wasn't like he couldn't understand where the other guy was coming from. "I get it, y'know?" He hesitated, then pushed forward. "If Sona-chan had wanted someone else… it would have ripped me up, too. But I would have tried to support her anyway."

Saji nodded. His expression was one of reluctant agreement. "I'm trying."

Issei shrugged. It didn't really seem like he had been, but it probably looked different to Saji. Hell, it'd probably look different to him if he'd been in his shoes.

"I was in her peerage for months before you were reincarnated. Followed her every direction, worked to make her proud of me. It didn't matter, though. I'd lost before I'd even started, maybe even before she started visiting you on a weekly basis." He let out a sigh. "I'd give my life for her… but she'd already made up her mind. It's like I wasn't even there."

"I get it," Issei repeated. He really did.

"And it's _you_." The Pawn managed to pack a remarkable amount of resentment into the last word, but it wasn't vehement. It was more like tired, or resigned, by this point. "I'd never seen someone so out of her league. But then you turned out to have a Neo-Longinus, and everything else…" He was speaking slowly but with growing sureness. Issei had the feeling that this was the first time Saji had really examined his reactions.

"I know." Issei let out a sigh of his own. "I still feel like she's out of my league, too. _Way_ out."

Saji snorted. "So do I." He fixed Issei with a stern look. "But _she_ thinks you're worthy of her. So…" He shrugged, wearing the look of a man forcing himself to face an unpalatable fact. "So _be_ worthy of her."

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. I will be." Issei relaxed. That was probably as close to his blessing as Saji was ever going to give. "You know, it's not like you're doomed to be alone… you've noticed Ruruko-chan and Momo-san, right?"

Saji's eyes widened. Apparently he _hadn't_. Issei squelched the urge to burst out laughing at his look of shock. "Ruruko-chan? Momo-san? I…"

"They've both got major crushes on you," Issei said. He couldn't quite keep the grin off his face. "You know, they're both nice girls, and really cute. You might even be able to convince them to share you."

"I… hmm…" Saji wore a gobsmacked expression. Thoughtfulness was peeking through, though.

"Give that some thought," Issei told him, smirking good-naturedly. He really did wish the three of them some happiness, in whatever combination it ended up being. That didn't mean he couldn't needle Saji about it.

"Well, what about you?" Saji suddenly gave him a quizzical look.

Issei blinked in surprise. "What _about_ me?"

Saji chuckled. "You're giving me crap about being oblivious, and then you do the same thing… nah. I'll let you figure it out. No, it's not enough that kaichou's letting you have a harem…" He trailed off deliberately.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Issei protested. "I _told_ you who was interested in you!"

"And you were smirking the whole time," Saji retorted. "Although… I'll tell you what. You have dragon senses, including that scent thing, right?"

"Yeah," Issei answered slowly. "Do you?"

"I haven't really tried developing it," Saji admitted. "Maybe I should. But I've done a little reading. If the scent thing works the way it looks like it does, then the scents are strongest when the feeling is mutual." It was his turn to smirk good-naturedly, as he unrolled his bedroll and made himself comfortable. "Give that some thought."

"Hey now…" Issei trailed off, groaning inwardly. He couldn't _avoid_ thinking about it now.

"Night," Saji said blithely.

"...night."

-xxxx-

"Nii-san, you don't look very well," Asia said concernedly. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Not really, no," Issei answered with a yawn.

"Welcome back, you two," Rias said with a smile. "Breakfast is ready, and we've just been waiting on you two. Afterwards, get cleaned up and we'll talk about this afternoon."

"Thanks, sempai," Saji said gratefully, and Issei nodded in agreement. The two Sitri servants joined their comrades around the breakfast table. It was loaded with freshly-prepared food, and the scent of it made his mouth water. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the magic word ("Itadakimasu!") was said, and the Devils fell to eating with a will.

Just as breakfast wound down, there was a knock at the front door. "Oh, Hyoudou-kun, could you get that?" Rias asked.

"Sure," Issei said easily, rising from the table. Suppressing a yawn as he walked, he opened the front door, and blinked in surprise. "Kaa-san?"

"Hi, son." Rio smiled at him. "Take my bag, please?"

"Um, sure." Issei stood aside so his mother could enter, and obediently took her carryall. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to be helping Rias-san train you guys," she announced as she entered the dining room. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Kaa-san!" Asia said, looking pleased. "You'll be here all week?"

"That's right." Rio sat next to her adopted daughter. "I'll be working with the magicians in the peerage, which means you, Akeno-san, and Rias-san."

"I assume you'll be helping me with pyrokinesis, too?" Issei asked. He hadn't liked how his fire had started waning in Kyoto. This might be a good opportunity.

"Naturally," she replied with a nod. "You've done very well, for having awakened to it recently. But you need a lot of refinement to get to your true potential. The further you can get down that road this week, the better."

"Yeah, you're right…" Issei inwardly sighed. He'd really have rather had the week with Sona in a lake house, but this would be good for the long run.

-xxxx-

The afternoon had been focused on basic physical training. Everyone in the peerage, even Asia, was in superb condition by human standards. The Devil idea of "good shape," however, was somewhat different, and they had worked hard enough to be ready and ravenous for dinner.

The Gremory heiress clearly believed in efficient usage of time. Even as they worked on the massive meal she'd prepared, Rias set a stack of photos on the dinner table. "These are the members of Riser's peerage. I know some of us have been studying up on them - in particular, I know Sona's peerage has been watching his past matches and taking notes. But I want to get us all on the same page about their abilities."

Issei nodded, pausing to wash down a bite of Hamburg steak He glanced at the first photo. "That's Riser's Queen, right? Yubelluna, I think?"

Rias nodded. "She was part of a disgraced Grauzauberer family before she was reincarnated. Her specialty is pyrokinesis. They call her the 'Bomb Queen,' and for good reason."

"I know her reputation," Rio said. "She's supposed to be very good. But Issei will be even better when he's fully trained."

"That probably won't be by the end of the week," Issei replied, laughing self-deprecatingly.

"That depends on how hard you work," she replied with a smile.

"She'll be my playmate anyway," Akeno stated, smiling fiercely. She then nodded at the picture of Ravel. "You fought beside her in Kyoto, Hyoudou-kun. What do you think of her?"

The first word that came to Issei's mind was "beautiful." He tried to shove that thought down. "She's smart and observant. If Riser listens to her advice, we could be in for trouble."

"If he does," Rias agreed. "I doubt he will, though. But let's plan for the worst-case scenario."

Issei tapped the photo of Isabela. "She's a good fighter. She mentioned she was in the army, though she didn't say _which_ army."

"Israeli," Rias answered. "I believe she was in Mossad, as well."

"Mossad?" Kaori said. "As in the intelligence agency?"

Rias nodded. Issei gave the Knight a surprised look. "You've heard of it?"

"I watch movies," Kaori replied, a little indignantly. Her cheeks were slightly pink.

"Xuelan, the other Rook, has an MMA background." Issei was a little surprised to hear Koneko pipe up. "She ran into some legal trouble, though. That's how Riser found her."

"The more I learn about him, the less I like," Kaori commented sourly.

"Try knowing him since childhood." Rias's tone was no less sour. "This is why we're putting effort into learning about his peerage. Knowledge is a weapon, and we'll need every weapon we can lay our hands on." Her eyes fell on Saji, and he straightened up. "I assume you mean me," he said.

"I do," she said with a nod. "You're going to be the key to this, Saji-kun. By the end of this week, I think we'll be ready to take out his peerage. But Riser himself has talents that they don't, with the exception of Ravel. And those are the things we need to neutralize, or at least weaken."

Saji nodded, his expression sober. "I'll do my best, sempai. But I don't know how well Absorption Line will do with that."

"That's what we'll be working on this week, Saji-kun," Akeno spoke up. Her expression was almost serene. "Endurance and control. Anything we can do to weaken his fire and his regeneration." The Queen pursed her lips, a touch of sourness entering her eyes. "Hell knows he won't surrender without being smacked around hard."

"So he won't surrender at all?" Issei asked. "Not even if we wipe his entire peerage out?"

Rias shook her head. "It's doubtful. In a normal Rating Game, that would probably be enough to force a victory on points, but unofficial ones tend to be very fluid in how rules are interpreted. In some ways, that's to our benefit. Sona wouldn't have been able to loan you guys to me, and let us reach near-parity. But as far as this goes, it also means that the only sure way to actually win is to take out the King - Riser, in this instance - or to force him to resign. And, frankly, the level of power necessary to force the latter is probably functionally equivalent to the power necessary for the former."

"And if we kill him?" Issei asked flatly.

Rias snorted. "As a peer of the 72 Pillars, I would decry that as an unfortunate fate that such a distinguished scion of the House of Phenex could not possibly deserve. As the woman engaged to him, if I thought it would help, I'd hold him down while you did it."

A dark chuckle rippled around the room at that thought. Even those who had only encountered Riser Phenex once could relate.

"Fortunately, he tends to stick to the same tactics," Rias continued. "He relies on his peerage to distract his opponents, and his pyrokinesis and immortality to overwhelm and demoralize them."

"Kaichou said he'd had some losses," Kaori said, taking a sip of her root beer.

"Both of them were to allies of his family," Rias explained. "And they were early in his Rating Game career. It's almost certain that he threw those matches as a favor to a family friend. That's something we _definitely_ can't count on."

"So Saji's the linchpin," Issei mused. "Maybe Kaori-san, and Akeno-sempai too? Kaori-san has a Holy Sword, and sempai is your most powerful servant…"

"That's about the size of it." Rias and Akeno exchanged looks, and for a moment there was some surprising tension there, as if there was something they'd been arguing about. "You too, if possible. You would bring a lot of firepower to the table." She let out a breath. "Best-case scenario is that all of you get to his base. But, at minimum, it has to be Akeno, Saji-kun, and Murayama-san."

"This is gonna be a long week, isn't it?" Saji said, exaggerated weariness in his his tone. Everyone at the table chuckled in rueful agreement.

"What would be really useful is if we could get him off balance right at the start," Rias continued, looking thoughtful. "Even if it was just for a few minutes, right after he had his peerage positioned."

"Some kind of distraction, huh?" Issei asked. "Like an explosion, or some kind of… I dunno…" Somewhere in the back of his mind, a stray thought started nagging at him, but he couldn't quite place it.

"An explosion would be too big," Akeno pointed out. "It could make his peerage react in ways we hadn't anticipated. We need them moving in their usual patterns, or as close to them as possible."

"Something that would be sure to distract him, and mostly him…" Issei stared at the wall, not noticing how his half-distracted tone was starting to draw attention. He blinked, swiveling back towards Rias. "Maybe something to do with his phone? He was fiddling with it pretty much the whole time he wasn't talking, when he came for the meeting."

"It's a possibility." Rias cocked her head, looking slightly skeptical. That skepticism starting waning as she remembered something. "Your Sacred Gear… it can control electronics, too? Not just ferrous objects?"

Issei nodded. "I've been testing it a lot. I, um, spent a little time poking around inside his phone on Friday. Just to see if I could do it without him realizing. It worked."

The skepticism was now completely gone from Rias's expression. "Yes. In that case, yes, that could work… what did you have in mind?"

"I… hmm." He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Probably some really annoying-but-catchy song or video, max the volume and set it on repeat, and keep his screen blank so he can't switch it off." He paused, then offered, "Of course, if anyone has a better idea…"

Rias chuckled. "I think that would be just fine. It doesn't have to be anything profound, just annoying or distracting enough that it grabs his attention for a few minutes." Her expression went wary. "...what exactly did you _see_ inside his phone?"

Issei shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing that would improve your opinion of him. Mostly pics of his peerage."

Rias wrinkled her nose. "That'll do."

"You realize that it probably won't work for more than a few minutes," Kiba reminded Issei. The Knight had been quiet for most of the evening.

"I know," Issei agreed. "But if we can surprise him, keep him off balance, for that time, it'll only help us."

Kiba nodded. "Yeah. I get it."

Rias nodded approvingly. "It costs us nothing to try, and might help."

"We need a song that's really distracting," Akeno mused. "Preferably something loud and energetic. Even better if it gets stuck in your head easily."

"I think I have that." Everyone looked at Rio in surprise, and Issei's mother smiled impishly as she pull out her phone. She pulled up her music player, selected a song, and hit PLAY.

Eyebrows rose around the table as the song started to play. Rias spoke up first, eyes sparking with recognition. "That's - I haven't heard this song in _years_!"

"It ticks all the boxes," Kaori added, tapping her fingers on the table in time with the drumbeat.

"Kaa-san, that's _brilliant_ ," Issei said, grinning. "Wait a minute, let me…" He closed his eyes, concentrating.

-xxxx-

In the House of Phenex's ancestral estate, Riser was having a "private strategy session" with Yubelluna and two of the kitchen maids. (True to form, he had selected the maids for something other than their analytical talents.) His suit pants were across the room, slung over a settee, and so he was unable to see the phone light up as Issei remotely accessed it, uploading the song in question to Riser's music library.

Riser thought nothing of it when he saw the UPLOAD COMPLETE notification in the morning.

-xxxx-

"And it's on his phone now." Issei looked rather satisfied with himself.

"Your Sacred Gear?" Rio stared at her son, stunned. "It's that powerful?"

"He and kaichou have done a lot of testing with Unknown Dictator's technomantic range," Kaori piped up.

Issei nodded. "As long as I'm in the same dimension as the electronic device, and I've accessed it before, I should be able to manipulate it." He looked at Rias. "How far are we from the Phenex territory?"

"Not all that far," Rias told him. "A thousand kilometers or so, I think."

The draconic Rook grinned. "Should be a piece of cake, then?"

"How far did you test it in the world?" Rio asked curiously.

"Between Kuoh and San Francisco," Issei said, scratching the back of his head.

"It's true," Kaori said. "He spent almost two hours talking to me while he and Sona-kaichou walked around Fisherman's Wharf."

"And Kaori-san had my phone," Issei finished.

Akeno nudged Kaori. "So why exactly was it _you_ that Issei-kun was calling - "

"I wasn't calling anyone," Issei said quickly. "I left it with Kaori-san to demonstrate that I was using the Sacred Gear by itself. Here, if you've got your phone, I'll demonstrate."

"No, no. That's quite all right." Akeno smiled sweetly. "I don't think it'd work quite as well. We don't have quite the same rapport."

Issei shot the Queen an old-fashioned look. It was easier than gauging Kaori's reaction.

He relaxed in his chair after a moment. The day had been exhausting, but a productive kind of exhausting. And, he thought with some mild guilt, whatever happened at the end of the week, he and Sona would still have each other.

He knew nothing would affect _that_.

* * *

Ravel wrinkled her nose as she entered the study that her brother used as his office, tablet tucked neatly under one arm. Not that his idea of "office work" was anything like hers. She was still half-surprised he didn't expect her to join his peerage-wide "training sessions."

The scene as she entered was relatively sedate. It was only Yubelluna attending him right now, wearing a nightgown that barely qualified for the name. Riser wore a crimson bathrobe and reclined on his couch, smiling languidly as Ravel entered. "Ah, Ravel. What brings you here this late?"

"I've put together a report on Sona-san's pieces that she's loaning Rias-san," Ravel announced. As her brother assumed a bored expression, she made a moue of irritation. "This is _important_ , onii-sama. Our peerages are at near-parity in strength now, if not in numbers, and the pieces being loaned have special talents. This won't be a walkover."

"You worry too much, Ravel," Riser replied, adopting the indulgent tone of an older brother playing tea-party with his little sister. Ravel resisted the urge to put a firebolt between his eyes, not least because it would have no permanent effect. "But, go ahead." Unnoticed by him, Yubelluna turned her attention to the younger Devil. Ravel had some modest fondness for her brother's Queen; the woman was certainly competent and observant.

Ravel consulted her tablet. "First, regarding the Pawn being loaned. Saji Genshirou is worth four Pawns, and is the bearer of the Vritra Sacred Gear Absorption Line, which has an ability to drain power from his opponents and transfer it to his allies. He's also a competent technique-style fighter."

Riser didn't seem to be paying attention, being more focused on his crystalline goblet of wine. Ravel let out an irritated sigh and continued. "The Knight being loaned, Murayama Kaori, is a Holy Swordswoman, wielding the Shinto Holy Sword Yozoragiri. Her family has had a kenjutsu school of their own for several generations, and she has been training intensively in their style since her childhood."

"We may need to keep an eye on her, especially if she has a Holy Sword," Yubelluna noted, then lapsed into silence at Riser's irritated look.

"I couldn't agree more, Yubelluna-san," Ravel concurred. "Finally, the Rook being loaned is Hyoudou Issei."

"Sona's boy-toy," Riser said with a sneer.

"Her _fiance_ , yes," Ravel corrected him. "He's a dragon and a pyrokinetic, in addition to his Sacred Gear. He has ties to the Kyoto Faction through his parents, who are friends with Yasaka. Remember, I fought alongside him in Kyoto. He's not someone I'd want as an opponent."

"Which Sacred Gear does he have?" Yubelluna asked curiously. She seemed slightly impressed by the Rook's background, even if her King did not.

"Unknown Dictator, one of the potential Neo-Longinuses," Ravel told her. "He's developed a unique magical attack by combining its ferrokinesis with electrokinesis. I've seen in at work in Kyoto; he used it to level the Old Satan Faction's base. To be perfectly honest, onii-sama, I think he's the most dangerous out of the three of them."

"They're all low-class scum," Riser said dismissively. Ravel marveled at how Yubelluna kept her composure at the slur. "I don't care what kind of 'skills' they might have. They're no match for my peerage."

"You're _wrong_ , onii-sama," Ravel insisted, ignoring the spark of disbelief and anger in his eyes at being gainsaid. "You need to take this seriously. They may not be able to win, but the margin is much much smaller now. You can't afford to be lax about this."

"You worry too much," he said again, and suddenly looked thoughtful. That worried Ravel. "He has a Neo-Longinus, you said."

"He does," Ravel said with a nod. "He's also highly intelligent… as you'd expect from someone who won over Sona Sitri. He's supposedly working on some kind of technomagical app that could replace paper summoning - "

"Yes, yes, whatever," Riser said, waving her off. It was another of his annoying personality traits, to assume that something he couldn't understand, or that didn't interest him, was of no importance. "I want his Sacred Gear."

"He can't exactly take it off and give it to you," Ravel replied. Her tone was heavily sardonic, to mask the sudden sense of unease.

"No. I guess I'll just have to kill him and take it." Riser said in the same tone that one might order dinner with.

Ravel stared at him. That sense of unease had been right on the money. "Onii-sama!"

"That low-born scum is an affront to Devil society. Not enough he's claimed an heiress of the Pillars as his wife, even a mousy shrew like Sona Sitri. That he has a Sacred Gear, too… a _Longinus_. It's an insult to me. _He_ insulted me when we visited Rias."

"You made a pass at his sister and tried to strike her when she brushed you off," Ravel reminded him. A quiet kind of panic had started churning in the back of her mind. "His reaction may have been… intemperate, but you were out of line, onii-sama. Even the Lucifer agreed with _that_."

"That doesn't matter." As usual, Riser's assessment of his own conduct began and ended at "I'm me, so it was justified." "He has a Neo-Longinus, and he's taken Sona Sitri as his betrothed. It's an affront to the Pillars. It's a slap in the face to _me_."

"It has nothing to _do_ with you," Ravel said softly, quickly. "We swore an agreement witnessed by the _Lucifer_ , onii-sama. If we win, Hyoudou Issei is to be traded into okaa-sama's peerage and be allowed to continue his relationship with Sona-san. This violates that agreement."

"The agreement offends me, as well," Riser replied with a negligent gesture. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm not bound by it."

Ravel gulped. She had to find a way to divert her brother from this. How could he _not_ see how this would affect the House of Phenex's agreements and treaties? If the other Pillars believed they couldn't be trusted to keep their word, or if they believed Riser would violate them at a whim -

That was the only reason. Not because her brother was talking about _murdering_ another Devil, even a low-class reincarnate, or because there was something about that reincarnate's smile. Not in the slightest.

"Onii-sama, consider what that would do to our family's reputation," she said, carefully keeping a pleading note out of her voice. "If the other Pillars don't think the word of the Phenex can be trusted, it'll only hurt the family."

Riser shrugged. Ravel gritted her teeth, suppressing the urge to smack him. "Onii-sama, if that's not enough, consider his relationships. He has familial ties to the Kyoto Faction, and personal friendships with both the Leviathan _and_ the Beelzebub. Not to mention Sona Sitri, who would likely make it her life's work to take vengeance. I'll grant you, it's rare for a reincarnate to be that well-connected, but it _is_ the case here. Giving all those people a reason to dislike you strikes me as… unwise."

Riser's expression was mulish, offended by the thought of _any_ of those people being an actual threat to him. Even two of the Four Satans. "His existence offends me, Ravel. And I want his Sacred Gear. The House will just have to deal with that." Beside him, Yubelluna looked quietly uneasy, but said nothing. Ravel couldn't really blame her; Riser tended to react badly when gainsaid. The only reason _she_ got away with it was because of their familial relationship.

"It's on your head, then, onii-sama," Ravel said, tiredly and bluntly. "But please take me seriously about treating them as an actual _threat_."

Riser waved a dismissive hand. Clearly, every word she'd said had fallen on deaf ears, and willfully deaf ones at that. "Go away, Ravel. You're boring me." He pointedly turned away from him. Yubelluna bit her lip, then turned away as well.

Ravel sniffed and left the room.

-xxxx-

"I don't think he's sane, okaa-sama." Ravel squirmed a little under her mother's considering gaze. The resemblance between them was staggering, and the younger woman knew very well how beautiful her mother was thought to be - and how many people saw those same good looks developing in her.

Those good looks weren't what Reina Phenex was best known for, though. No, that would be her intelligence. Ravel's father would have been the first to call her mother the real brains of the family. And then there was the little matter of her government job…

Reina finally sighed. "Something has been going on with him for awhile. It started not long after he started participating in Rating Games. I've been trying to back-trace when exactly it began, and probable causes…" She shook her head. "It's been slow going, especially with matters how they are at the Ministry right now."

Ravel nodded glumly. She understood that part all too well. Reina was among the Leviathan's most senior advisors, and often had to keep her focused on the mundane-but-vital minutiae of foreign affairs. It wasn't all that different than what Ravel found herself doing for Riser, except that Serafall-sama had sense enough to _listen_ to their mother…

"And you're right about the position Riser's putting us in," Reina continued. "Our House's wealth depends on our agreements and contracts, and if other families can't trust our word to be kept, we'll be in deep trouble." She smiled wanly. "Not to mention the ethics of the situation."

"Can you and otou-sama talk to him about this?" Ravel said. It felt very important to her than her brother's plan be hamstrung. The financial stability of her house was paramount… but the desire to see Issei remain safe was stronger than she expected.

No, she told herself. It wasn't possible. A reincarnate, and an _engaged_ one at that?

She tried to push the thought aside as her mother replied. "We'll speak to him tomorrow after breakfast. But I don't think you should get your hopes up."

Ravel closed her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh. "But you just agreed with me…"

"I _do_ agree with you," Reina said. "And we'll tell him to honor the agreement as witnessed. But what do you plan to do if he decides to ignore us?"

"He wouldn't…" Ravel trailed off. The way her brother was behaving, he might ignore their parents out of spite, and damn the consequences. Never mind that a hefty compensation payout to the House of Sitri would be the best-case scenario that came as a result…

"So. If you can't stop him, and your father and I can't stop him, what does that leave?" Reina asked, and Ravel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Trust her mother to turn this into a teachable moment. The worst part was that it worked; there was an avenue she hadn't considered before.

"Okaa-sama, can you arrange a meeting for me?" she asked.

* * *

Ravel kept reaching up to touch her hair. It felt more than a little strange for it not to be styled into her normal drill-like twintails, but if she was going to do this without being noticed -

"I'm sorry, is this seat taken?"

Ravel started to say yes, then stopped to regard the speaker. She was a quietly pretty woman, with wine-colored eyes behind round glasses and wavy, pinkish-beige hair clubbed back into a stubby braid. She wore a grey skirt suit, a light blue blouse, and sensible black flats. Altogether, she looked like a literature teacher at a private girls' school, instead of the Queen of a Maou's peerage.

"...Behemoth-sama?" Ravel said carefully, softly.

"That's right," Behemoth said with a nod, sitting next to Ravel at the busy lunch counter. "I hope you won't mind if I eat lunch while we're here." She indicated the Monte Cristo sandwich and French onion soup on her tray. Not exactly the lunch you'd expect from a monster out of the Bible.

"Go right ahead. I've done the same," Ravel assured her. There were reasons she'd selected this delicatessen in downtown Lilith. Quite aside from its proximity to the main governmental offices, it had some of the best sandwiches in the Underworld, and thus was busy at all hours. Ravel had just polished off a Reuben of her own.

After a few minutes of companionable silence, Behemoth set down the remaining half of her sandwich and turned towards the younger woman. "So. What can I do for the daughter of the House of Phenex?"

"It's more what I can do for the House of Sitri, and its heir's future husband," Ravel answered, her face solemn.

"...what about Hyoudou-kun?" Behemoth said slowly.

-xxxx-

The mood in Serafall's office was tense.

"You're sure she was telling the truth, Behemoth-san?" Sona asked, her hands curled into fists. The other two women in the room had never seen that kind of icy fury in her eyes before… at least, not before Hyoudou Issei had entered her life.

"I'm certain of it, Sona-san," her sister's Queen answered. "I had a truth-detection spell running the entire time we spoke. It's possible she was misinformed, but she believed every word she spoke. She said Reina-sama advised her to speak to me, and I know how much Sera-sama trusts her judgment." She shook her head. "What she describes is definitely characteristic of her brother, too."

"Rei-chan was absolutely correct." Serafall's tone was soft and serious. "We should tell Icchan, and Ria-tan too. They need to know. We can't rule out his peerage deliberately targeting Icchan during the match, either."

"Arrest him." Sona's tone matched her eyes; if a voice could freeze objects, Serafall's office would be an Arctic wasteland right now. "This is premeditated murder, aimed at a member of the House of Sitri." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Not to mention that it's a knowing violation of an agreement witnessed by one of the Maou. By the _Lucifer_ , no less."

"I want to, So-tan," Serafall told her sister, and her voice was genuinely sympathetic. "But he'll say that claim is without substance because you and Icchan aren't actually married yet."

"Since when has _that_ mattered?" Behemoth asked. "I thought the betrothed party was considered as a member of their fiancee's family unless the engagement was broken."

"It's a tradition, but it doesn't have the force of law," Serafall explained, shaking her head. "It might be a different story if Icchan had already made middle-class or higher, or had been born into one of the Pillars, but…" She made a disgusted sound. "There are more than enough pure-bred Devils who want to keep the reincarnates in 'their place,' and would applaud this on general principles."

She looked at her sister guiltily. "It's also true that what he has in mind for Icchan violates the terms of the agreement, and that he'd be putting his family on the hook for it. But all that really requires is for the House of Phenex to make 'proper restitution' to the House of Sitri. Whatever Riser's family may think about his actions, that's a legal stance they're almost required to take. And though you have influence over what that entails…"

"...it's otou-sama and okaa-sama who have the final say." Sona's voice was quieter now, the icy anger now replaced by pain. "And, knowing okaa-sama, she'd be just as happy to be bribed to sweep it under the rug…"

After a moment, she added softly, "I don't know what to do, onee-sama. What _can_ I do?"

"The language of the agreement didn't specify _which_ Rook you were loaning Ria-tan, so you _could_ swap Icchan out with Tsubasa-chan, but that's not fair to her, either." Serafall leaned back in her chair. "You could make this knowledge public, and try to _force_ him to observe the terms, but the effectiveness of that would depend largely on public opinion, and Riser is petty enough to double down out of spite." She hesitated, then added, "You could take Icchan and run. He's the Aoikaji-hime's son, so Kyoto would probably be willing to give him and his fiancee shelter…"

Sona actually considered it for a long moment. But, in the end, she shook her head. She didn't have a choice, really. Her expression might not have been one of defeat, but she did _feel_ decidedly… disheartened. "I can't do that. I have a responsibility to the rest of my peerage, to our family…" She let out a long, shuddering sigh, her shoulders shaking.

"I know," Serafall said gently. "There is, of course, one thing you can and should do." She reached out to her sister's chin, tipping it upward so she could look in her eyes. "Make sure they _win_. Riser has weaknesses, almost all of them stemming from his personality. He's not invincible, no matter what he thinks."

Sona nodded, letting out a breath. "Yes." She cleared her throat, looking calmer now. "To heaven with the agreement. If he's going to violate it…"

"Quite right," Serafall agreed, smiling wanly. "And, if… if, I'll act as your Rook in the retaliatory Rating Game. And we'll make Riser regret the day he was born."

"Yes," Sona agreed. Inwardly, though, she was thinking of the one option that they hadn't mentioned. Issei becoming a Stray Devil… it would break her heart, to never be able to be together with him again, for him to be considered a shoot-on-sight criminal in the Underworld. But he would still be _alive_ , and her sister was likely right about Kyoto being willing to shelter him.

Serafall regarded her for a moment, and Sona wondered if her sister hadn't already guessed her train of thought. Instead, she said, "Let's go see them now. This shouldn't wait, not with the match so close."

-xxxx-

Sona and Serafall arrived just as Rias and the others were sitting down to dinner. What they had to say soured everyone's appetite. Rio was ashen, and it wasn't clear whether she wanted to drag Issei home and hide him under the bed, or to walk into the Phenex family estate with Ame-no-Ohabari drawn. Even Saji was taken aback, and he gave Issei a reluctantly sympathetic look.

Rias spoke first. She was brisk, as if wanting to say the words before her reluctance kicked in. "Hyoudou-kun, under the circumstances, I can't ask you to act as my Rook. Not when Riser is openly targeting you."

"...that would just put Basa-chan in the line of fire, though," Issei observed glumly. He felt even more guilty for his earlier thought about the match's outcome having minimal effect on him. "I… Sona-chan and Sera-nee are right, sempai. I appreciate you letting me opt out, but… I can't." He glanced at Asia, who looked rather guilty herself.

"So we need to make sure your peerage _wins_ , Rias," Sona insisted. "Onee-sama and I will remain here until the match, helping with strategy."

"Doesn't that violate the agreement?" Akeno wondered.

"Riser's already indicated his own intention to violate it. As far as I'm concerned, he can go piss up a rope." Sona's voice was quietly angry, and the mild profanity only underlined that anger.

Issei reached for her hand, interlacing his fingers with his. Some of the quiet rage left her eyes, and her body relaxed minutely. Not completely, though; her jaw continued to work.

"Even if So-tan wasn't correct, the precise language of the agreement doesn't preclude me from acting as an intermediary," Serafall pointed out. She gave Issei a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry to dump this on you, Icchan. But you needed to know right away."

"I know," Issei replied, his tone as reassuring as possible. "Thank you, Sera-nee."

Rias sighed, and turned her attention to Akeno. "We need to pull out all the stops."

"I thought we _had_ ," Saji said in confusion.

"Not all of them, I'm afraid." Rias's eyes were on Akeno's, and if they were fundamentally sympathetic, they were also relentless in this moment.

"No," Akeno said immediately. "Absolutely not."

"Akeno, under the circumstances - "

" _No_." There was an atypical note of protest, or even distress, in the Queen's voice. "Rias, you can't ask that of me!"

"I don't _want_ to," Rias insisted. "But we need every edge we can get to pull this off, and that's the biggest one we have available."

Akeno lapsed into sullen silence.

"What are you two talking about…?" Issei asked, confused.

"Akeno inherited her father's special ability," Sona answered, her voice now somewhat calmer. "Holy Lightning." It was Akeno's turn to work her jaw angrily.

"Holy Lightning?" Kaori asked.

Rias looked at her Queen, and sighed before answering. "Akeno is half -Fallen Angel." She regarded Issei. "I trust that doesn't bother you." There was a faint but unmistakable note of "it had better not" in her voice.

The half-dragon Rook shook his head. "No. I mean, if there are both good people and bad ones among Devils, it makes sense that there'd be the same among Fallen Angels. And my folks claim to have some as friends, so…" He shrugged.

"Good," Rias told him, nodding. "Her father is one of Grigori's leaders, and he has an ability to combine photokinesis with electrokinesis. The resulting lightning is devastatingly powerful, especially against Devils." She glanced guiltily at her friend, and let out a sigh. "Akeno has the same ability, even if not quite as refined. But it would be more than sufficient to dispose of Riser's servants. Even his Queen could not stand against it for long."

"That's perfect, then," Issei said, perking up. "What's the problem?"

"She refuses to use it," Rias told him with a sigh.

"It's _his_ ability." Akeno's words came out as a virtual hiss. Her head was lowered in sullenness. "I refuse to deal with anything that has to do with him."

"Her father," Sona said softly, and cleared her throat. "Akeno, I understand why you're reluctant, but - "

"No." The word came out in an almost petulant tone.

"'No?'" Issei repeated the word incredulously. "Sempai, your _freedom's_ at stake! Not to mention my _life_ , which may not mean a damned thing to _you_ , but it sure does to _me_!"

"Don't mock me, Hyoudou-kun!" Akeno's head snapped up, her purple eyes blazing, and she rose to her feet, an aura of electricity starting to surround her. "I'm sorry you're in the crossfire, but you have no idea what you're asking of me!"

"Yeah, okay, maybe I don't, but I know what stands a good chance of happening if I _don't_ ask it!" Issei shot back in an increasingly loud voice, springing to his feet. Blue-white sparks started dancing around his hands, not enough to bring his flames fully to life, but enough to prompt Sona to summon a sphere of water just in case. "He's gonna fucking _kill_ me, and he's gonna be a lousy, abusive husband to Rias-sempai, and he's gonna treat the rest of you like his slaves! You really want that? _Do ya_?!"

The two of them glared at each other for a long moment, the tension in the room spiking uncomfortably. Both Sona and Rias tensed, ready to act to calm their respective retainers if necessary. Remarkably, the wind left Akeno's sails first, and she slumped her shoulders. "You don't understand," she said softly, brokenly. "My father left my mother and I to die. I swore I'd never touch his power, not after he did that…"

Issei's shoulders slumped as well, and he sank back onto the couch. "You're right," he said in a tone that matched Akeno's. "I don't know what you've been through. I guess I can't blame you for being reluctant to use it, but... Maybe this once, I don't think you'd be…" He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Think of it as being the person he wasn't, saving others when he didn't? Being the better person?" He sighed. "I know I'm being selfish, but my life really _is_ hanging in the balance here."

Akeno snorted, but there was a trace of actual humor, albeit bitter and dark, in the sound. "Well, you're not exaggerating." She looked back up. "Very well. You're going to help me, though."

"What do I need to do?" Issei asked, a wary note entering his voice.

"Be a moving target." Akeno's eyes bored into his, and if her usual sweetly-cruel smile hadn't returned to her face, there were traces of it in her eyes. "After all, you're the one who's been badgering me about this. It's only fair that you help me work on it."

Issei winced inwardly. He couldn't deny it, though. _It'll hurt less than what Riser has in mind for you,_ he reminded himself. "Fine, okay. Fair enough."

Sona fixed Akeno with an old-fashioned look. "No permanent injuries."

"Asia will be standing by to keep him whole," Rias said quickly. There was quiet relief in her tone, and in her face. From her place across the table, Asia nodded in agreement.

"Then we'll start tomorrow morning," Akeno said.

"Yeah, tomorrow," Issei agreed.

-xxxx-

Kaori rubbed her eyes as she walked up to the top of the hill, raising her hand in greeting to Sona and Asia. "When did they start?"

"Issei-kun got up before seven," Sona told her. She didn't look particularly pleased about the fact. "They started just after breakfast."

"You look tired," Asia commented, looking slightly concerned.

"I am." Kaori stifled a yawn. "Kiba-kun likes to start his Knight training before dawn, too." She checked her wristwatch. "They've been at it for… three hours?" She grimaced. "How's it going?"

"Pretty much like that." Sona pointed upwards, and Kaori followed her gaze.

The three of them were treated to the sight of a midnight-blue Japanese dragon juking and diving its way through the sky, attempting to dodge Akeno's Holy Lightning. For her part, the Queen was dressed in the garb of a Shinto priestess, and smiled broadly as she sent bolt after bolt of blue-white lightning at Issei. He managed to dodge most of them, but not all, and the three girls winced at his half-strangled cries of pain. He endeavored to give as good as he got, but he wasn't nearly as adept with pyrokinesis in his dragon form, and Akeno was able to avoid most of his _Rekka-dan_ strikes easily.

Asia sighed. "I'll get ready to heal nii-san."

"I don't like how much fun Akeno-sempai seems to be having with this," Kaori muttered.

"She promised no permanent injuries to Issei-kun," Sona reminded her. "And he's a Rook. He can handle this." She didn't look particularly happy about it, either, though.

After taking the third bolt in the center of mass, Issei began losing altitude rapidly, circling down towards Sona and the others. At about one hundred meters, he reverted to human form, and all three girls winced as they saw his torso covered with scorch marks.

"Fine, I suppose we can take a break," Akeno called out airily.

Issei stumbled on his landing, and was only saved from faceplanting into the dirt by Kaori's awkward scramble to catch him. He leaned heavily against her, panting and groaning for a moment, before Asia caught up with them "Thanks," he said softly.

"It's okay," Kaori replied, looking at him carefully. "Yikes. Those don't look comfortable."

"Oh, they're not, they're not…" The Rook sank to the ground as Asia activated Twilight Healing, and the tightness in his expression began relaxing away. "Thanks, that's better."

"I'm impressed, Hyoudou-kun," Akeno said breezily, alighting effortlessly nearby. "You took several solid hits, and stayed airborne. I think you could give Yubelluna a run for her money."

"I'd rather sit for the money right now, thanks," Issei managed with a pained chuckle. Twilight Healing was knitting away his injuries, but the Holy aspect of Akeno's attacks slowed its effectiveness. "Kaori-san, help me to the ground?"

"Yeah. Hold on," the Knight said quickly, helping Issei slide gracefully onto the grass. The Rook sat down gingerly, still panting, and stared up at the clouds.

"I trust you're making progress," Sona said, and her tone politely told Akeno "you had damned well better be."

"Definitely," Akeno told her. "My aim and endurance are already improving. I think I'll only need a few more days with my workout partner here." She sent a sweet smile Issei's direction; his reaction was to groan softly and continue staring at the clouds.

"That's enough for now," Sona replied, and her expression brooked no argument. "In fact, I think that's enough until after lunch."

"Of course," Akeno replied graciously, inclining her head towards the Sitri heiress.

"There," Asia said softly. The soft green glow from Twilight Healing faded away, and Issei sat up, rubbing his torso gingerly. The pain seemed to be completely gone from his expression, though he still looked tired.

"Thanks," he said, and turned towards Akeno. "I can see why Holy Lightning is feared."

"You should see it when I get _really_ worked up," Akeno replied with a smirk. "You all right?"

"I'll live…" he groaned.

"Lay down," Sona instructed him, and sat down next to him, patting her lap. Issei did so obediently, resting his head on her lap, and he started relaxing as she stroked his hair. Kaori watched them for a moment, biting her lip, before sitting next to them.

After a moment, she felt Akeno's eyes on the three of them. "What is it?" she asked carefully.

"Nothing," Akeno lilted. She stretched. "Actually, I think that's enough progress for today. I'll be right back with some early lunch."

"Thank you, sempai," Issei said, his voice sounding half-asleep as Sona tousled his hair.

"It's the least I can do for my adorable little cousin," the Queen said in an offhand tone.

Issei's eyes opened in mild surprise. He didn't move from where he was; in fact, he looked like he was debating whether or not he had the energy to move at all. "What did you just say?"

"Cousin," Akeno repeated patiently. "You've been nagging me about doing what's right, but you've also been patient with me and doing what I want, and you've cared about my feelings. That sounds like being family to me." She smirked. "And if you're a Doumon, we're probably related anyway. So, cousin."

"I refuse to call you 'onee-san,' Akeno," Sona said wryly. She didn't miss a beat, continuing to stroke Issei's hair.

Issei didn't move. Finally, he said, his tone wary, "Himejima-sempai, I don't know what to say…"

"Either I think of you as family, or I think of you as something else, Issei-kun," the Queen warned him with a sweet smile. Kaori wondered how much of that was a joke.

"...Akeno-nee," Issei said quickly.

"Good boy!" She reached down to tweak his cheek playfully, and he rolled his eyes but let her. "See? You're getting the hang of it already."

"Akeno," Sona said warningly, at the same time that Kaori protested, "Sempai!"

"Oh, fine, fine, I'll stop teasing him in front of his girls," she said with a chuckle.

"Stop saying stuff like that," Issei muttered, his cheeks turning red.

* * *

"So what's going on?" Kaori asked curiously. Issei and Sona had asked her to join them for a walk before dinner, and so the three of them were strolling underneath the Underworld sky, watching the faux-sunset. It was a tranquil scene, one that contrasted sharply with the violence that would come in a few hours.

It had been a long, draining week, but it had paid off. Rias's peerage was working as a well-oiled machine now, even its temporary members. Everyone had made remarkable gains in skill and strength. Issei had even developed a new trick that might come in handy - certainly, it had raised everyone's eyebrows when he demonstrated it. Perhaps most importantly (as far as tomorrow's match went, anyway), both Saji and Akeno had come a long way with their respective Sacred Gears and powers. Given how much of their strategy hinged on the two of them, that had to be a good sign. Because the match started at 12:01 a.m., Rias had given everyone the day off to relax and center themselves.

Relaxed was the last thing he felt right now, though.

"I have a favor I want to ask of you," he told Kaori gravely. It was a strange feeling. He didn't feel fatalistic, or like he was counting down his last hours, but it felt very important to get this last bit of insurance. He was staring at the possibility of death, and it was staring right back, and the way it felt wasn't something he could escape.

"O-okay, I'm listening…" she said slowly.

"If we lose," he began.

"You are _not_ going to lose," Sona said sharply. There was something both weary and wary about her expression. He knew she wasn't happy about what he was going to ask.

"I know," Issei said. His tone was meant to be reassuring, but it couldn't quite manage that. "But if we don't…"

"Go on," Kaori said, feeling slightly nettled.

"I want you to kill me." Issei pushed the words out. "With Yozoragiri. Before Riser can."

" _What_?!" Kaori blurted out, her eyes wide. That was clearly the last thing she had expected to hear come out of Hyoudou Issei's mouth.

"If we lose, I can't run away. That would disgrace Sona-chan," he explained. "And Riser's enough of a prick that he wouldn't make my death quick, either." He let out a sigh. "If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna choose _how_ I go out."

"No! I refuse!" Kaori protested. "You _can't_ ask that of me, Ise!"

"Yes, I can. I _have_ to!" Issei insisted. "If it all goes wrong, I don't want Riser to do what he plans to do. The only way to avoid it, without getting Sona-chan or anyone else in trouble, is for me to die first. You're the only one I can trust to do it quickly and relatively painlessly."

Kaori lapsed into sullen silence, her eyes betraying inner turmoil. Issei turned back towards Sona. "Sona-chan - "

"I don't want it," she said, her voice thick with quiet anger. "I don't _want_ it, Issei-kun."

"I'd rather you have it than Riser," he persisted. "You'd put Unknown Dictator to good use. He just wants it for a fucking trophy." He grabbed Sona's hands and squeezed them hard. " _Please_."

Sona closed her eyes, and nodded sharply. She then said, her tone still quietly angry, "This is all hypothetical, though. You are going to win tomorrow, and you are going to _live_."

"I'll do it, under one condition." Kaori spoke up, and her tone snagged Issei's attention. "Marry me. After we win tomorrow, make me your next fiancee."

Issei's eyes widened and he stared at her, confusion - and desire - writ plain on his face. "What…?"

"I love you, Ise." Kaori's expression was odd as she said the words aloud for the first time, as if she were testing how they tasted on her lips. Her cheeks were burning, but her voice was steady. "I want to be one of your wives," she continued. "And if I do it now, I'll be the second-senior wife. Right, kaichou?"

"Yes," Sona said promptly. "I really wish you'd done this earlier, Kaori."

Issei spun towards Sona, staring at her in shock. "You _knew_?"

"One of the first things I did was discuss this with the girls in my peerage who I thought it likely that you'd develop a mutual attraction with," his fiancee - well, now, _senior_ fiancee - answered in a matter-of-fact tone. That tone shifted to affectionate exasperation as she added, "Honestly, I _told_ you that you might be surprised how soon a harem might come together. And that you had the same blind spots Kiba-kun does when it comes to sensing someone's attraction to you…"

" _Everyone_ knows?!" he blurted out, blushing.

"Everyone who's relevant to the matter," Sona answered. "I'm sure that if you think about it, you'll figure out just who they are." She cleared her throat. "I've been getting after Kaori about this ever since you two were reincarnated."

"Kaori-san…" Issei trailed off, gulping.

"Just Kaori." She hesitated, then added, "I've been wanting to say that since the day I found out you were a dragon."

"So you're actually… you actually… have feelings for me?" Issei tried to suppress the delight in his voice, tried to be respectful towards Sona. It wasn't taking.

"Yes, dammit." Kaori's voice was less steady now, and her cheeks were the same shade as Rias's hair. "It's not recent, either. Since middle school. I love you." Her eyes remained steady, and they continued to bore into his. "And I know you feel the same, Ise. I'm not blind. Neither is Sona-kaichou."

"Okay," he said softly, his face cherry-red. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Yeah, Kaori, I do. I like you a lot. Ever since junior high. If I'm not already in love with you, it's just a matter of time. Please marry me. Be my - our - wife."

Sona nodded in agreement. "Yes. Please, Kaori."

Kaori nodded jerkily, and walked forward, throwing her arms around both of them. The three of them clung together for several minutes before Kaori turned her attention fully to Issei. The kiss she planted on him left the Rook gasping for breath.

"You are going to _stay alive_ tomorrow," she told him fiercely. "None of this 'if I die' bullshit. If something happens, it happens, but don't you _dare_ lay down and die tomorrow." Sona said nothing, but it was clear from her expression that she fully agreed.

"I promise. I'll fight tooth and nail," Issei said softly.

"I _mean_ it," Kaori insisted, a relentless look in her eyes. "Remember what you told me the night we fought Sellzen? Well, I want you to _stay alive_ too!"

"As do I." Sona's voice might have lacked Kaori's fire, but Issei knew how to sense the depths of emotion on her control. And the unyielding note of command.

He really was whipped, he couldn't help thinking with a wry smile. And he wouldn't have it any other way, if it meant being with them.

"I promise," he repeated. "We'll win. And I'll stay alive."

-xxxx-

"So, will you two tell me what happened?" Sona broke the companionable silence some time later. The three of them sat together on the villa's deck on a cushioned bench after dinner, a blanket wrapped around them to ward off the evening chill. Cocoa cooled on the table in front of them, but was mostly ignored in favor of snuggling together. That came easily enough to Issei and Sona, but they had been surprised how easily Kaori was adjusting to it.

"What do you mean?" Issei asked.

"The thing that made Kaori hate you. Or that you thought had made her hate you," Sona elaborated.

"What?" Kaori looked perplexed. "I'd never hated Ise. There was just - oh." Her expression cleared. "That? I never hated you, Ise… I was disappointed, and mad, but…"

"That seemed like hate to me," Issei said ruefully.

"What happened?" Sona asked again.

"It was third year of middle school," Issei told her. "Matsuda and Motohama had found a new place to peep, and wanted me to come along. They wanted me to copy their photos and videos to my laptop." He closed his eyes. It felt like he was going to die from sheer chagrin, and had a feeling that he looked like it. "They knew I had a thing for Kaori, and that we'd been flirting… they dangled the idea of seeing her naked in front of me."

"It was their idea, wasn't it? Matsuda and Motohama?"

"Yeah, but… I went along with it," Issei said. "I wanted to see you naked, it was all I'd been thinking about around then." He shook his head. "It was only when we got there that it occurred to me that it was a violation of your privacy, that it'd hurt you. I wasn't exactly quiet in trying to get them to leave, and they weren't quiet in protesting, and that was when you guys saw us…"

"I would have believed you, you know," Kaori said softly. "If you'd come and told me that you'd changed your mind, that you were trying to fix things, I would have believed it…"

"I know. I know that now. I just couldn't then. That look of disappointment in your eyes, it felt like it'd kill me. I felt like the only thing I could do to make it up to you was giving you space."

"We're a couple of idiots, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we are. But we're here now, at least, thanks to Sona-chan."

"Yeah, we are." A mischievous smile crossed Kaori's face. Her eyes shifted to meet Sona's, and something passed between them. Issei wasn't quite sure what was being silently communicated, but there seemed no hostility or resentment in it.

"We're all fortunate," Sona said finally, and nestled closer to Issei. Kaori did the same on his left side.

-xxxx-

"Sona-san?" Kaori had waited until Issei's breathing had evened out into sleep to speak again. She suspected Sona was still awake, though.

"Yes?" Sona's tone was unsurprised.

"...you aren't really gonna let Ise die. Are you?" Kaori was certain that their King didn't _want_ him to die, but if she felt her hands were tied by Devil law… she wasn't sure how she was going to be able to handle that.

"I certainly don't _want_ to," Sona said, her voice slightly pained. "I'm not in a position with a lot of wiggle room, though. It's very important that you play the part Issei-kun asked you to, if it comes to that."

Kaori raised both eyebrows, and sat up just enough so that she could see her fellow fiancee over Issei's sleeping bulk. "You're planning something."

"Try not to let it come to that," Sona said, a touch of resigned humor entering her voice. "It will open an entirely new can of worms."

"He'll be alive, though," Kaori replied softly. "I can deal with the rest."

Sona looked at her for a long moment, then nodded, a faint-but-approving smile ghosting across her lips. "You might have to take the lead on that for a while, if we reach that point. As I said, please try and keep it from coming up."

"Don't worry," the Knight promised. "I'll take care of our boy." She reached out a hand, and Sona took it. The two of them relaxed again, Issei unconscious between them. They were still like that, half-drowsing, when Rias came to get them.

* * *

The mood in the Student Council office was tense but anticipatory. Issei, Kaori, and Saji had put in an appearance to bid their peerage-mates farewell and receive their well-wishes. Saji was saying goodbye to Ruruko and Momo, and the way that he looked at them indicated that he was actually noticing their flirtations.

Issei wondered if he really been that blind too, as he bid his friends farewell. Or just afraid to admit what he wanted. Certainly, Tsubasa's bone-crushing hug seemed to linger, and Reya actually kissed him on the cheek. Aika had settled for a tight hug, and a sober benediction to "kick Riser's ass." Her expression and eyes had been completely free of her trademark sang-froid, and he had a distinct feeling that she wanted to keep him in the embrace.

This definitely needed exploration, when - _when_ , dammit - he returned.

As the girls bid Kaori farewell, Issei exchanged embraces with his parents, then a handclasp with Tsubaki, before finally turning to Sona. The Sitri heiress pulled him into a hug that was even more bone-crushing than Tsubasa's.

"I love you," he murmured to Sona, returning the tight hug.

"I love you, too." Sona gave him a lingering kiss, and shifted her gaze towards Kaori. It was hard to define all the emotions present in that gaze, but not a one of them was negative, or even jealous. "Take care of our boy, Kaori."

"I will, Sona-san." After a moment, the two of them hugged briefly, and as they released each other, Kaori extended a hand to Issei. "Let's go."

"Yeah." Issei took it.

* * *

"My name is Grayfia Lucifuge," a firm female voice spoke over the broadcast circle. "I have the privilege of refereeing this Rating Game between the peerages of Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex."

Ravel tried not to glower at her brother. It was difficult; he was smiling unpleasantly as he listened to Grayfia speak. He wasn't sure whether he was fantasizing about Rias, or her, and in either event it was terribly gauche right at the moment.

"This is Sona Sitri, Princess-designate of the House of Sitri. My peerage will be responsible for the broadcast of this match," another woman said coolly over the broadcast circle. Ravel had to admire Sona's calmness, especially given the circumstances.

There was a brief pause, then Sona added, "Pause broadcast. This is for the match's participants only." There was another pause, and then Sona resumed speaking, her tone sharp. "Riser, I know about your plans for if you win."

Riser's lazy smile immediately became a scowl.

"I'll warn you this once: _don't_. If you do, you'll have earned the enmity of the House of Sitri. And remember our element. No flame can resist the waters of Sitri forever." Her voice was as cold as the Arctic.

Ravel had to suppress a wince. That wasn't even a _subtle_ threat, and she knew how easily Sona Sitri could embody the word "implacable." Isabela and Mihae caught her suddenly-pinched expression, and they didn't look particularly reassured themselves. In fact, the only members of the peerage who didn't look at least a little concerned were Ile, Nel, and Riser himself. The twins were pretty dull-witted and easily bored when it came to anything beyond mindless carnage. As for Riser, his scowl just deepened. There was no sign of concern or trepidation in his expression, though. Rather, he looked like a spoiled bully who'd been scolded for picking on a smaller child.

"That bitch needs bringing to heel," he said sullenly.

Ravel just shook her head. Next, he would probably proclaim himself the sole Maou and demand Sirzechs and the others cede their offices to him.

"The broadcast will resume now," Sona said, her tone now perfectly level again.

* * *

"Nicely said, Sona," Rias said approvingly. Issei and Kaori nodded firmly in agreement.

Rias's peerage, both permanent members and temporary ones, gathered in the ORC clubhouse. The only one absent was Gasper, whose hikikomori condition was apparently so pronounced that he couldn't leave his room for even something like this.

Rias herself wore her school uniform, as did Kiba and Koneko. Akeno wore the robes of a miko, which was something of an odd clash with her personality. Asia wore her Grauzauberer robes and hat over a tidy A-line dress. Saji wore black jeans and a green sweatshirt. Issei wore a red polo shirt and blue jeans, with two improvised bandoliers full of roofing-nail bundles criss-crossing his chest. Kaori wore her kendo gear, sans helmet, and had Yozoragiri thrust through the waistband, scabbard turned edge-up (a.k.a., samurai-style). The latter three wore white silk armbands that had both the Gremory and Sitri crests carefully inked onto them. Issei and Kaori clutched each other's hand, their fingers interlaced.

"I never knew Sona could be so intense," Akeno mused. "Issei-kun, you've been holding out on us all this time."

Issei reddened slightly. "People keep insisting on thinking of her as some… frigid librarian or something. I've never understood why."

"And _that_ is probably why you bring out that intensity in her," Rias said with a smile.

"The match will begin in one minute," Grayfia's voice announced over the speaker circle. "Please take this time to make final preparations."

At 12:01, everyone in the room tensed.

Nothing happened.

"...did they glitch?" Issei wondered aloud.

"Ise, the window," Kaori said, pointing outside. He looked, and his eyes widened, then narrowed, as he saw the sky. That _definitely_ wasn't the sky over Kuoh.

"So they're using the school as the battleground?" he said aloud.

"More or less," Rias agreed. "It's been perfectly replicated in the Game Field." She opened a desk drawer, pulling out a box of strawberry Pocky. "Even down to the Pocky I keep in the drawer."

"Indeed," Grayfia's voice rang out over the speaker circle. "The battleground for this Rating Game is the campus of Kuoh Academy." As she spoke, Akeno and Kiba pulled the campus map off the wall, spreading it out on Rias's desk. "Rias-sama, your base is the ORC clubhouse. Riser-sama, yours is the Academy headmaster's office."

"Home field advantage, sort of," Kiba said softly.

"It's the 'sort of' that could bite us, Yuuto-kun," Rias pointed out gently. "But yes. Let's make the most of what we have." She began distributing small, glowing red orbs, about the size of tiny marbles. "These will work like a Bluetooth headset. I think you know the drill by now."

Issei nodded, and he and his peerage-mates tucked the orbs into their ears.

Rias reached into a drawer and pulled out some pushpins, stabbing a red one down on the ORC clubhouse and a yellow one down on the headmaster's office. "They'll be pushing towards here, to force me into checkmate. We'll be doing the same to him."

"What's the strategy, buchou?" Akeno asked. "We're almost equal in numbers, and skills-wise we're probably superior."

Rias nodded. "If he's performing true to form, he'll be sending sorties out. Mostly Pawns, maybe backstopped by a Knight or Rook. We'll draw them into the clubhouse area and take them out, then go on the offensive." As the others nodded, she stood. "Hyoudou-kun, Murayama-san, take up position in the gym. That's the likeliest place for them to try and penetrate."

"Yes, sempai," Kaori said promptly, and Issei nodded in agreement.

"Yuuto-kun, Koneko-chan, start laying traps in the forest. Asia, I'd like you to go with them and use illusion magic to obscure the three of you," Rias said next.

"Yes, buchou," Kiba said. At the same time, Asia replied, "Yes, Rias-san," and Koneko nodded minutely.

The Gremory heiress thought for a moment, then added, "Saji-kun, stay here with me for the moment. You're the key to the endgame, so we need you out of harm's way for the moment."

"Wherever you need me, sempai," Saji said immediately, nodding firmly.

"Akeno, I want you outside on eye-in-the-sky duty. Keep as low a profile as possible, but stay ready to respond if anything gets past our Rook/Knight teams," Rias said finally. "Try to keep your Holy Lightning in reserve, but if Yubelluna puts in an appearance, you can take her out."

"As you like, Rias," Akeno said smoothly, smiling at the thought of crossing swords with her opposite number.

"Hyoudou-kun, get your little surprise ready," Rias added. "I'll give you the word when to spring it."

"Roger that, sempai," Issei replied, giving her a mock-salute.

Rias smiled. "All the work you guys have put in this week… I'm proud of you. Let's give them hell." She nodded sharply, slipping into her King's persona. "Move out!"

"Right!" her peerage, both permanent and temporary, chorused, and they left the office with a purposeful stride.

-xxxx-

"Not a bit of subtlety to them, is there?" Kaori complained quietly. She and Issei peered around the gym's doorframe, making sure to stay out of sight. Four of Riser's servants had entered the gym: the two crazy chainsaw-wielders in gym shorts, the Chinese girl in a blue qipao, and a blue-haired girl in abbreviated Japanese clothing who carried a bo. Of the four of them, the Chinese girl was the only one who seemed alert.

"Not a bit," Issei agreed. He held a hand up to the ear that had the orb in it. It was an unnecessary gesture, he knew, but it was automatic. "Sempai, this is Hyoudou. We have eyes on four enemies, three Pawns and a Rook."

"Understood," Rias's voice replied calmly in his ear.

A moment later, Asia spoke. She spoke in a hushed tone, as if afraid of being overheard. "Rias-san, our traps are set. We have visual confirmation of three enemies, all of them Pawns. They're seventy meters from our first line of traps."

"Understood," Rias repeated. "Do you have an ETA for them hitting the traps?"

Kiba spoke up in reply. "At the rate they're moving, buchou, two minutes. They don't seem all that alert, but it could be an act."

"Neither do ours," Issei put in. "Well, the Rook is trying, but the others don't seem very serious about it."

"No sign of any other movement towards our base," Akeno reported, her tone slightly disappointed.

"All right." Rias was silent for a moment. "Yuuto-kun, let us know when they're about to hit the traps. Hyoudou-kun, drop the hammer the moment he speaks."

"Yes, buchou," Kiba replied. At the same time, Issei answered, "You got it."

The seconds ticked by, tension thickening with each moment. By the time one minute had passed, Issei was trembling, a fact he didn't realize until he felt Kaori's hand squeezing his. She offered him a reassuring smile, and he returned it.

Finally, Kiba spoke. His voice was just a little higher-pitched than normal, reflecting the stress he had to be feeling. "They're right on top of them."

"Hyoudou-kun," Rias began to say, but Issei was already acting. He reached out mentally. He'd been inside Riser's phone before, and the high-class Devil's idea of device security was a fucking joke. Especially, he thought wryly, to someone whose Sacred Gear was capable of manipulating electronics. He'd already downloaded the song, so all he had to do was max the volume, set it to single-loop, and hit PLAY -

* * *

A drumstick smacked a cowbell four times before slamming down on a snare drum, and then the aggressive guitar and synths kicked in.

Riser Phenex literally fell over as the music started blaring out of nowhere.

* * *

" _Go_!" Rias shouted.

-xxxx-

"Wait," Grayfia said, her brow furrowing slightly. "Is this - "

 _Everyone's watching to see what you will do_

 _Everyone's looking at you, ohh -_

"...it _is_ ," she finished, her expression caught somewhere between amazement and exasperation.

"Oh, hey, _this_ song!" Sirzechs said brightly, starting to tap his fingers on the table to the bassline.

Sona smiled fiercely. The expression would surprised, even shocked, those who didn't know her well. The rest of her peerage looked pleased, if a little nonplussed. Grayfia took quiet note of the ones who looked most pleased. Those three girls also looked amused… and slightly possessive. It was a look that was present, albeit subtler, on Sona's face.

-xxxx-

"Right!" Kiba rapped out, and he and Koneko moved out of hiding. At the same time, Asia quietly energized the traps, and sounds of feminine outrage sudden echoed in the pseudo-night. The carefully-obscured magical circles used a combination of geokinesis and aerokinesis to immobilize their victims. They weren't particularly _strong_ traps; experienced Pawns such as Riser's could probably dispel them with a few minutes' effort. But that few minutes was all Kiba and Koneko needed.

Kiba had to hand it to the girls; they didn't just sit there and wait. As soon as he and Koneko appeared, the maid with light-brown hair - _Marion,_ he thought he recalled from the briefings - screamed "Promotion: Bishop!" and summoned a dozen magical circles. They began spitting black-purple bursts of demonic energy. Meanwhile, the other two began working frantically to dispel their traps.

Kiba lunged forward, darting in and out of the treeline. Meanwhile Koneko juked and weaved her way out from Marion's magical blasts, making sure to keep her attention. The Pawn had some skill as a ranged combatant, Kiba had to admit, but she had a lot to learn about an actual fight. Like situational awareness, for one thing -

Marion screamed as he darted out of the trees a last time, appearing behind her. His Holy Eraser made short work of her, and a brief flash of light swept her away.

"Phenex Pawn, retired." Grayfia's voice was carefully neutral, but there was little doubt which side she was actually rooting for. Kiba and Koneko turned in unison to face the remaining Pawns. Behind them, Asia revealed herself, a Gale Arrow already nocked and aimed.

Shuriya fixed her face into a determined look. It almost worked… not that it would have mattered much to her opponents. "I-it would seem that you have us at a disadvantage," she said, making an admirable effort to keep her voice from quavering. Again, she almost succeeded. Again, it made zero difference.

"We'll accept your surrender now," Kiba said, his voice gentle. That did not detract from the way he worked Holy Eraser's blade back and forth in tight, menacing circles. "Please."

Shuriya's lips began trembling, and her knees buckled. She stayed on her feet, but only just. "i surrender," she murmured in a barely audible voice, and a teleportation spell whisked her away. "Phenex Pawn, retired," rang out a moment later.

"Well, _I_ won't!" Burent huffed, then called out, "Promotion: Bi - " She never completed the word, as Koneko's fist sent her to her knees. A spin-kick connected with her head before she could even begin to stand back up. With a Rook's strength behind Koneko's kick, she was unconscious before she went prone.

"Phenex Pawn, retired."

"Well done," Kiba told his peerage-mate with a smile. She nodded back tersely. "Are you all right back there, Asia-san?"

"Just fine," Asia replied, letting her aerokinetic bow dissipate. Her expression tensed for a moment, and then she added, "I don't believe anyone else is approaching."

Kiba nodded his thanks.

"Let's catch up with the others," Koneko said flatly, and they hurried off towards the next checkpoint.

-xxxx-

 _Everyone's wondering, will you come out tonight?_

 _Everyone's trying to get it right, get it right -_

"On it!" Kaori replied, and Issei called up his electrokinesis, a bundle of roofing nails starting to rotate around each hand. They stepped through the double doors, all their focus on Xuelan. They'd had several minutes to come to that conclusion: the Rook was both the most alert, and the most capable, of Riser's servants present. That made her the priority target.

Lethality in a Rating Game context had been something they'd discussed during the week of training. The Game Field infrastructure incorporated a teleportation system to remove participants who were unconscious and/or fatally wounded, and magic and healers were standing by to treat everyone thusly retired. As a result, the mortality rate in Rating Games was generally minuscule. This meant that some peerages took a scorched-earth approach to their tactics.

As a rule, Rias didn't like taking that tack. Nor did the rest of her peerage, including the temporary members. But the current circumstances didn't allow them to keep it off the table. She had to go down first, and that meant hitting her as hard as possible.

Xuelan whipped around in surprise as Issei began firing at her. She was unusually nimble for a Rook, and managed to dodge the first Railgun attack, but the second one tore right through her center-of-mass, blowing her back into the wall with enough force to leave a crater. The wounds were gaping and grievous, and it was only her Rook piece that kept her on her feet.

Gasping in pain, she gritted her teeth and tried to throw herself at him, but Issei was already shouting "Railgun!" again. The next double strike punched through her torso again, painting the floor and wall with her blood. She slid to the ground, groaning a surrender, and a column of light appeared around her. When it faded, she was gone.

"Phenex Rook, retired," Grayfia's voice announced. Her tone was faintly stunned.

"Xuelan-nee!" Ile screamed.

"You're _dead_ , you asshole!" Nel yelled, and she and her sister raised their chainsaws. White-hot flames suddenly erupted around the cutting edges, and they charged at Issei.

"Back off!" Issei roared, stepping into their path. He _yanked_ mentally, miming the action with his hands, and the chainsaws lurched out of the twins' hands, flying towards the half-dragon Rook. They came to a hovering stop in front of him, and abruptly caught fire, twisting together in a mangled mechanical slipknot.

Ile and Nel stared in dismay and shock.

Issei mimed tossing the wreckage to the side, and it went slamming into the gym wall. It hit with an explosion, leaving the wall with a brand-new window.

Kaori raised one eyebrow.

" _Now_ will you two fucking _back off_?!" Issei snarled, forming his hands into finger-guns and pointing them at the twin Pawns. The hands wreathed themselves in blue-white flame, clearly poised to unleash a _Rekka-dan_ flurry upon the two sisters.

Nothing like driving a point home.

"H-hey, calm him down or something!" Nel yelled at Kaori, her voice quavering.

Kaori looked back steadily. "You do realize that your master plans to kill him and take his Sacred Gear if we lose, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Nel retorted. "He deserves it for what he just did!"

"Wouldn't she have done the same to him?" Kaori countered.

"Yeah!" the twins chorused indignantly, completely missing - or ignoring - the irony.

"And you don't even care." Kaori shook her head. "...no. I _won't_ calm him down."

"F-fine, assholes! Be like that!" Ile whined, and then shouted, "I resign! Jerks…" She vanished.

"I resign, too," Nel said glumly. She fixed Issei and Kaori with a venomous glare as she vanished.

"Phenex Pawn, retired. Phenex Pawn, retired," Grayfia announced. Her tone was calmer now, the reaction of shock at Xuelan's rapid dispatch having passed.

"Well, you scared a couple of middle-schoolers to death." Kaori observed dryly. "Smooth."

"Did they _look_ like they'd listen to sweet reason?" he retorted. His tone showed that he was only now starting to calm down.

"...not particularly, no," she admitted, giving him a brief look of concern.

The two of them turned towards Mira, eyebrows raised. Issei aimed both finger-guns at her.

The last Pawn gulped, but stood her ground, raising her bo to a guard position. "I-I'm not afraid of you two…"

"You should be," Kaori told her.

"Wait - but you're over _there_!"

"Yeah, and your shadow's right next to you," the kendoka said darkly, and she suddenly vanished.

Shizuku hadn't been kidding when she said that Yozoragiri gave its bearer umbrakinesis. Kaori had spent the last six days working hard at increasing her control over shadows. Not only had her skill with the projected "shadow-blade" technique improved, but she had also gained the ability to use shadows to traverse short distances. The distance from the double doors to Mira's back was well within her range.

The Pawn was just starting to turn when Kaori ripped Yozoragiri from its sheath in a brutal iaijutsu draw. Mira staggered from the impact, gasping in agony from being struck with a true Holy Sword, and fell face-first on the gym floor. Her unconscious form flickered and vanished with a flare of light.

"Phenex Pawn, retired," Grayfia said.

"...I think you enjoyed that a little _too_ much, Kaori," Issei noted.

"I'm just being pragmatic." Kaori sheathed Yozoragiri, and poked Issei in the chest. "And we're fighting to keep _you_ alive, too! Don't forget that."

"Oh, believe me, I haven't," he told her feelingly.

She touched his face, looking critically at him, the concern behind her expression apparent. "Got it out of your system?"

"Think so," he said, smiling wanly. "Let's move."

She nodded, and the two of them sprinted for the door.

-xxxx-

 _Everybody's workin' for the weekend_

 _Everybody wants a little romance -_

"Shut off! Shut off, dammit!" Riser thundered, jabbing his fingertips at his smartphone's screen. The music player controls resisted him, the screen serenely refusing to acknowledge that it was being manipulated.

"Onii-sama," Ravel began, but her brother waved her off dismissively. He continued to tap furiously at the unresponsive phone. She rolled her eyes, letting out a sigh of irritation. Of all the times to become fixated on his phone, even if it _was_ acting weird! It was…

...it was almost as if someone had known he'd react like that, and planned accordingly.

 _Issei-san did this,_ she realized. _And if he didn't think of it, I'm sure Sona-san or Rias-san_ would _have_.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but closed it after a moment. The thought that Riser had _earned_ this was one that she couldn't escape… or dispute.

Besides, this song was kind of catchy.

-xxxx -

Rias clenched her fists. It was a good start, for certain. Not that she was stupid enough to say that aloud and tempt the fates.

-xxxx -

 _Everybody's goin' off the deep end_

 _Everybody needs a second chance, ohh -_

Kaori was the one to catch the flash of light in the sky. She tackled Issei, knocking them back just before the massive explosion cratered the ground in front of them.

"I see they didn't put up much of a fight for you," Yubelluna commented as they rose to their feet. "A pity."

"Is it so hard for _anyone_ from your peerage to admit that we might actually be _skilled_?" Kaori snapped indignantly.

"I'm willing enough to admit that," Yubelluna replied, much to their surprise. "Even if the Pawns aren't that strong, Xuelan is a capable Rook. Besting her would take skill. But it'll be all for naught in the end." Fire began to dance around Riser's Queen, and she raised her hands. "I'll make this quick. You've earned that."

"My, my. I think you've earned a little something, too." Akeno's sweet voice came out of nowhere. So did the massive bolt of blue-white lightning. It smacked Yubelluna in the center of mass, and she shrieked as if someone had held her arm to a red-hot stove. Even though the bolt flew well wide of them, Issei and Kaori could still feel the unpleasant tingle that Devils felt from such a powerful Holy-aspected attack.

" _You_!" Yubelluna blurted it out as Akeno flew into view. Somehow, she managed to stay airborne, despite her entire body crackling with the aftereffects of a Holy Lightning strike. It was clearly a near thing, though, and it would be a lie to call her "unscathed."

Akeno was dressed in her miko robes, but her magic was far different from normal. The blue-white crackle of Holy Lightning, further focused and empowered by Storm Dancer, surrounded her like a glowing azure sphere. She waggled her finger at Yubelluna, as if she were a teacher correcting a student. "No-no. _I'm_ your opponent." She glanced at her teammates. "Issei-kun, Kaori-san, please hurry." Her smile turned wicked. "I've been wanting to play with my opposite number here."

"Make sure to meet us at the end, Akeno-nee!" Issei cried out. "We can't do this without you!" The two of them sprinted away.

"How could I possibly let down my adorable kouhai, and my favorite cousin?" Akeno's smile turned into a smirk. "Well, 'Bomb Queen?' Does that describe your power, or your talent as an actress? Show me."

xxxx

 _Y' wanna piece of my heart?_

 _Y' better start from the start_

 _Y' wanna be in the show?_

 _C'mon, baby, let's GO -_

"There!" Riser cursed, hurling the phone to the ground. The expensive device impacted with enough force to shatter. Making a grunt of satisfaction, he turned his attention back to the status display, and stared in shock. Six of his Pawns and one of his Rooks, down for the count _already_?

 _Imbeciles! I'll strip them of their pieces, and replace them with girls who're actually_ competent _! Letting Rias's mismatched rabble -_

Yubelluna's marker on the display blinked, changing from green to red. A moment later, Grayfia's elegant voice announced, "Phenex Queen, retired."

Riser stumbled backwards in shock. That… that was _impossible_.

-xxxx-

Yubelluna stared at the shattered remains of a tiny vial. They lay upon the ground, having been snapped away from her grasp by a pinpoint-accurate bolt of lightning. She clearly hadn't been expecting Akeno to be so precise. "That…"

"As if we weren't aware that Riser Phenex's peerage would use Phoenix Tears," the Gremory Queen said in a disappointed voice. "Honestly. After all the time we spent researching you, planning to counter you… couldn't you have put in at least a little effort to do the same?"

The Gremory Queen was feeling somewhat winded, and the intensity of the Holy Lightning she was wreathed in had faded. But it was still extant, and she was still mostly intact. Neither could be said for Yubelluna at present.

"Retire, now." Akeno's expression and voice were almost sympathetic. "Believe me. You'll hurt a lot worse if you don't."

"Riser-sama won't like this," Yubelluna said softly.

"We wouldn't like being under his heel," Akeno replied, her expression hardening. "Is that a 'no?'"

"...no. I surrender," Yubelluna announced, looking defeated. The teleportation spell whisked her away, and Akeno let out a sigh of relief, letting her magic dissipate. That was one major obstacle cleared, but the main event was ahead. She needed to conserve as much energy as she could.

"Phenex Queen, retired," Grayfia announced. Her voice was tinged with hopeful disbelief.

-xxxx-

Sona's eyes were fixed on the display. She held Issei's uniform blazer in her lap, and clutched it almost like a child would clutch a security blanket. A hand touched her shoulder, and she started, jerking around to glare at whoever dared touch her.

She relaxed as she saw Tsubasa. The Rook's expression was equally intent, with a brittle calm, and her azure eyes were fixed on the match too. Sona felt a spike of chagrin, for having forgotten that she wasn't the only one whose heart was in her throat at this very moment.

A moment later, she realized that Aika and Reya were also watching intently. The Bishop's hands were twisting and crumpling the pleats of her skirt, while the Pawn was playing idly with one braid. (Well, it might have started as "idly." By now, she had actually unraveled the braid without realizing it. The resulting look was surprisingly fetching.)

Sona waved them over, turning her attention back to the match. After a moment, she felt two more hands resting on her shoulders, and closed her eyes. It was strangely soothing.

"Go, Ikkun," she heard Reya whisper.

"Indeed," she agreed. "Go, Issei-kun."

-xxxx-

"Incompetents!" Riser thundered. He stormed back and forth in the office, his phoenix-fire surrounding him like an aura. From time to time, he would snatch something off the table or desk and hurl it at the wall.

Ravel found the demonstration more reminiscent of a toddler throwing a tantrum than something actually threatening, but she knew she was in a relatively privileged position. The rest of her brother's peerage wasn't, and the ones who weren't outright cringing away had subtly scooted back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Isabela and Mihae subtly orienting on each other, as if to come to each other's rescue if needed. Riser, she knew, was too self-absorbed to have noticed their relationship, and she had no intention of informing him. After all, it was increasingly likely that his ego would probably not tolerate them loving anyone but him, and they would probably suffer for it…

Riser whirled and pinned Ravel with a glare. "You. Take the rest and occupy this zone." He stabbed his finger down at the map, indicating the most direct route between the two bases. "Since Rias's rabble took out the incompetents, they're probably feeling all high-and-mighty. They'll think they can sweep in and take us quickly. Disabuse them of the notion."

Ravel looked stonily at him for a long moment, wondering if he knew how he sounded. Finally, she shrugged. "A frontal confrontation?"

Riser sneered. "If you want to fancy it up, go ahead. What they've accomplished comes more from Yubelluna's failure than from whatever talents they may have. I'm sure you can handle whatever they want to throw at you."

"Very well." Ravel looked at Isabela. "Isabela-san, please take Mihae-san and Siris-san, and conceal yourself along their approach, before circling around to seal off their retreat."

Isabela nodded. "Yes, Ravel-sama." Her eyes shifted towards Mihae and Karlamine, and the three of them left the office quickly.

"Karlamine-san, Ni-san, Li-san, please come with me," she continued. "We'll meet them head-on, and hit them at the same time as the others"

"Agreed, Ravel-sama," the Knight said firmly. The Pawns grinned, clearly spoiling for a fight. Ravel smiled thinly and led them from the room. At least this would make what she had planned easier to carry out. She didn't particularly care how Riser felt about it, but she'd rather not see her peerage-mates suffer…

-xxxx-

"They're being subtler than I expected," Asia reported. She was using a perception-enhancement spell, and was observing the far end of the approach to Riser's base. "That may be Ravel-san at work. I only see her, one of the Knights, and the two remaining Pawns."

"Yes, I suppose Riser _would_ be using her as his second-in-command with Yubelluna down," Rias mused. The communications circles had been switched to conference-call mode, the better to coordinate the next stage. "That's still his other Bishop, Knight, and Rook missing. There's no sign of them?"

"None," Asia replied. "The spell I'm using is tuned for magical detection, so I'd be able to tell if they were using a cloaking spell."

"Thank you," the Gremory heiress said, and was silent for a long moment as she thought. Finally, she asked, "Any thoughts?"

"At a guess, I'm pretty sure Riser's expecting us to take the obvious passage and be surprised by an interception," Akeno posited. "The missing pieces are probably Ravel's idea, to try and pincer us. Not too bad…" There was a smile in her Queen's voice. "It'd be a shame to disappoint them."

"It's the most direct route, but there are a few others," Issei pointed out. "It depends on how patient you want to be, sempai."

Rias considered that. "You're right, but it's _his_ patience I'm worried about. We need to avoid him reacting unpredictably, at least for as long as we can." She made a soft, thoughtful sound. "It looks like we're in a good position for Stand."

"I can't believe you went with that name," Issei snorted in wry amusement. He didn't disagree, though. They had kicked around the idea of letting a detachment draw out his remaining pieces, and having Rias's magicians - namely, Asia and Akeno - take them out in a ranged attack. It wasn't something that they'd counted on, but they'd trained for it, and so far they were in a position that exceeded their most optimistic projections. Issei wasn't particularly _happy_ about being the decoy force, but that was status quo for a Rook, and it was one giant step closer to shutting down Riser.

"You're the one who suggested it," she teased him good-naturedly. "Do you concur?"

"Yeah, I think so," Issei replied. "This is about the best-case scenario for it."

"Agreed." Akeno was completely free of doubts.

"Hyoudou-kun, Yuuto-kun, Koneko-chan… you've probably already guessed, but you'll be the detached force. Do everything you can to avoid acting before all of his remaining peerage have revealed themselves, but your well-being is paramount. If you feel you need to engage…" She trailed off, but the implication was clear.

"Yes, buchou," Kiba and Koneko chorused, and Issei nodded before adding, "Yes, sempai."

"Saji-kun, I want you and Murayama-san to wait until they're engaged before making your way to Riser's base by one of the other routes. If necessary, Saji-kun, go ahead and Promote. Once you're there, take cover and wait for the others to catch up."

"Yes, sempai," the Pawn and Knight chorused.

"Asia, Akeno, you know your roles. Get ready." Rias smiled. She knew they couldn't see it, but she hoped they heard it in her voice. "I'm very proud of you, everyone. You've done so well today. I just need a little more." She let the praise sink in, and then, in her King's voice, ordered, "Move out!"

"Right!" her peerage, both permanent members and temporary ones, said in unison.

-xxxx-

It was a fine line to walk, Issei thought. They had to make it clear that they were taking the most obvious route. At the same time, though, they couldn't be _too_ obvious about it. Riser might have his head up his ass, but there was altogether too good a chance that Ravel would sense something was up. And so the three of them had to move furtively down through the schoolyard, darting from notional cover to cover, putting on the airs of a group trying desperately to reach their objective before fortune caught up with them.

As a result, it was nearly a relief when they were "pincered." Truth be told, his patience was starting to fray, especially without Kaori's soothing presence. The group led by Ravel was waiting at the approach to Riser's base. The Phenex daughter herself wore a solemn, determined expression, and Issei wasn't really sure what she thought about the whole situation. He knew that she was at least opposed to the part that involved him getting killed, which was good. The rest of it, though?

He heard Kiba draw in a slow breath behind him, and the soft sound of subtly-muffled footsteps. That would be the second group, the ones intended to seal off their retreat.

The brown-haired Knight stepped forward, declaring, "My name is - "

"Karlamine-san," Issei interrupted, his tone sharp. "I know who all of you are. I'm afraid I don't particularly care right now. Get out of our way." He knew his response wasn't particularly polite, but to hell with it - it wasn't _their_ lives on the line, after all… "Now." He tensed, and two bundles of roofing nails broke loose from his bandoliers and started rotating around his hands, while electrokinesis skipped up and down his forearms.

Karlamine looked especially stunned by Issei's curt response. Her mouth opened and closed several times, as she tried to find a proper response.

"Normally, I would apologize for my friend's attitude," Kiba said gravely. "But under the circumstances, I think he has good reason to be irritable."

"I know," Isabela said, stepping into Issei's line of sight. Her tone was genuinely apologetic. "Issei-san, I'm sorry. If I had any control over this…"

"I don't blame _you_ , Isabela-san," Issei said tersely, forcing himself back to politeness. Isabela deserved that much, at least. "Any of you. Just your asshole of a master. So I'll give you all one chance to walk away now. After that, I won't hold back." Azure flames suddenly cloaked him like an overcoat, enough so that his friends winced and pulled slightly away from him.

Isabela winced as well, taking a step back. She shook her head, opening her mouth to respectfully decline.

"I'll walk away." All eyes shifted to Ravel, who wore a solemn expression. More than that, she looked as though she'd already decided to do this before Issei had even made the offer. She spoke slowly and clearly, as if her words were being broadcast across the Underworld. (Which, for all Issei really knew, might actually be the case.) "Onii-sama is being a fool and placing the House at risk. I won't support him in that any longer."

"Easy for you to say, Ravel-sama!" Siris protested. "You have options! But the _rest_ of us are obligated to follow Riser-sama's orders."

"I plan to ask okaa-sama to trade for me," Ravel explained. "Any of you who wish me to ask the same on your behalf, I will. But as for this match, I wash my hands of it."

Confused silence rang in the air. It was finally broken by Mihae clearing her throat. "I think I agree," she said diffidently. "Ravel-sama, I request your help in that regard."

"You'll have it," Ravel said, nodding firmly.

"Mihae!" Isabela said in dismay, and Issei was a little surprised at how much dismay she managed to pack into that one word.

"I'm sorry, Isabela, but Ravel-sama is right," the Bishop said softly. A look passed between the two of them, and Issei suddenly realized what kind of relationship they had. "Riser-sama is not acting honorably, and he doesn't seem to care how it affects those around him. This is all I can do." She held out a hand to the Rook. "Please. Come with me…"

Isabela looked tormented for a long moment. Finally, she closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry," she half-whispered. "I gave my word."

"I know," Mihae replied, her expression at once solemn and sympathetic.

"As do I," Ravel agreed. Her gaze swept her peerage-mates. "My offer still stands. If you're interested, speak to me later." She cleared her throat. "I surrender." The teleportation spell kicked in, and she disappeared.

"I surrender," Mihae added, her voice now firm. She was swept from the Game Field in a wash of light particles.

"Phenex Bishop, retired. Phenex Bishop, retired." Grayfia's voice was openly stunned. Issei couldn't blame her.

"Anyone else?" he said aloud, trying to keep his voice level.

-xxxx-

"Well. _That_ was unexpected," Akeno murmured over the conference call. She hovered fifty meters above her comrades, and the opponents surrounding them. "Do we still want to proceed with Stand?"

"Wait and see if anyone else follows Ravel-chan's lead," Rias advised. "I have to say, I'm surprised too. I guess Hyoudou-kun really impressed her in Kyoto."

"I don't think she really realizes how much, yet," Akeno said blithely. "Standing by on my end. Asia-chan?"

"I believe I have my targets lined up," Asia reported. "Standing by as well."

-xxxx-

"Screw this guy," Siris said, snorting. "If Riser-sama wants him dead, I'll be happy to oblige." She started to lunge at Issei, then staggered backwards, stunned as an arrow wrought from distorted air struck her hard in the breadbasket, knocking her to the ground with enough concussive force to put her lights out.

"Phenex Knight, retired," Grayfia reported.

Her peerage-mates stared in surprise. As they started to react, another arrow, equally insubstantial, arced high into the air, and split into four, raining down and striking each of Riser's remaining servants. Unlike the one that had taken out Siris, these did nothing other than pulse a faint reddish-white, not unlike some kind of signal beacon… or targeting device for artillery.

From her expression, Isabela was the first to parse the similarity. "Scatter!" she yelled. "Find the mage who fired those arrows!" She turned towards Issei, eyes narrowed, and threw herself at him, clearly intending to get inside his range before he could fire.

Even as she did that, though, and even as her peerage-mates started to scatter, Akeno's lightning began to fall. She was using her standard electrokinesis for this; they had long since agreed that her Holy Lightning needed to be saved, as much as possible, for Riser. But she was boosting her normal attacks as much as possible, with the help of Storm Dancer.

Karlamine was the first to go down, her mind still apparently stalled by her opponents' refusal of fair play. The lightning took her out before she could even scream.

"Phenex Knight, retired," Grayfia's voice rang out.

Ni and Li were next, but they didn't go out alone. The two of them dodged Akeno's first strike, exchanging glances, and then charged at Issei, who immediately backpedaled. Akeno was walking her lightning up and down the field, trying to be mindful of her teammates while pressing her enemies. This resulted in both Issei and the twins having to dodge both her lightning and each other, neither able to land a telling blow.

In the end, the contest was decided by Kiba, who met their demonic energy-charged fists with Holy Eraser's blade. The Sacred Gear's blade wavered but held, and Kiba quirked a quick smile at Issei. "I have them. Please make sure Isabela-san doesn't reach Asia-san."

"You got it," Issei told him, turning to give chase.

"Yuuto-kun, are you sure…" Akeno trailed off.

"Please, Akeno-san. Make it quick." Kiba's smile became strained, the blade wavering ever so slightly again.

Akeno sighed. "I'll make it up to you." Lightning snarled down. Kiba managed to keep from crying out. The nekomata twins were not so controlled.

"Gremory Knight, retired. Phenex Pawn, retired. Phenex Pawn, retired."

As Kiba had said, Isabela was indeed going for Asia. The other Rook had been the most observant one left, and had sighted on Asia's position the moment the volley of arrows had been loosed. She was moving faster than a normal Rook, not unlike Tsubasa when she was using Momentum Pillage to leech away an opponent's speed.

Asia saw her coming. She paled, momentarily cowed by Isabela's pure determination, but bit her lip and manifested a magical shield before her. It buckled under the sheer force of Isabela's punch, but didn't collapse, and her teeth drew blood as she concentrated on boosting it.

She didn't have to hold on for very long. Issei was right on Isabela's heels, but Koneko reached her first. Like Isabela, Koneko was far more agile than the average Rook, and she was demonstrating it now as she drove Riser's last standing servant away from the magician. Her fists were cloaked in some kind of energy that wasn't elemental magic or demonic energy, and Isabela hissed as she blocked each strike with her forearms.

Issei lined up his shot, electrokinesis flaring golden-white around his forearms, and yelled "Railgun!" The clusters of roofing nails snarled forth at hypersonic speeds, leaving a Mach cone behind them, and the sound was unmissable.

Even fully committed to fending off Koneko, Isabela's situational awareness was fine-tuned. She managed to twist herself enough so that the ferrokinetic attack only grazed her. Of course, with hypersonic rounds, "only grazed" translated to "left nasty wounds," but they were nothing that a Rook's durability couldn't handle for a few minutes.

Until the nails turned on a dime and arced towards her again.

Grayfia had been correct. Issei had been able to fine-tune Railgun, and his fine control with Unknown Dictator, enough so that he actually _could_ turn his projectiles into guided missiles. It was still early days, and steering them after launch meant he had to stay still and keep mentally correcting their course, but he was sure no one in Riser's peerage had seen it coming. (Except, perhaps, Ravel. Why was he thinking about her right now?)

Certainly, Isabela didn't. Only as she sensed the movement behind her did she start to turn, and Koneko and Asia both hit the deck and rolled. Issei felt another spike of guilt, stronger than he had with Xuelan. He knew and respected Isabela, after all. But, again, this fight was literally a matter of life and death for him.

Isabela didn't even cry out.

A moment later, Grayfia announced, her tone openly surprised now, "Phenex Rook, retired." She lapsed into a pensive silence, and when she spoke again, her voice was carefully neutral. "Riser-sama, your entire peerage has been eliminated. D you wish to concede the match at this time?"

For a moment, Issei held his breath. He could see Asia and Koneko, who were in the process of standing and dusting themselves off, doing the same. He imagined that Akeno, and Kaori and Saji, and even Rias were also waiting with bated breath. Certainly, Sona would be. After all they'd accomplished so quickly, it would be nice if Riser would have some sense…

Naturally, he didn't. At first, the laugh was soft, almost musical, but it very quickly gained in volume, ringing with notes of disbelief and indignation. It wasn't, Issei thought resignedly, a very sane-sounding laugh. It cut off abruptly, and Riser spoke in a deeply affronted tone, as if speaking to anyone that wasn't him was somehow degrading to his dignity. "I will not. If Rias thinks she and her rabble can cheat their way to victory, they can come and meet me. Let them see the true power of a scion of the House of Phenex."

"Be careful what you wish for, Riser," Rias cautioned. "My peerage is almost completely intact. Yours is in the recovery room."

"Incompetents and a little sister who doesn't know her place." Self-impressed confidence was slowly returning to Riser's voice. "She'll learn. They'll suffer for their failure. You'll experience both, Rias. Soon, you'll be begging for my forgiveness."

"I'll take that as a 'no,' then." Grayfia's voice was dust-dry.

"How're we handling this, Rias?" Akeno asked. "I recommend Colony Drop."

"Seconded," Issei piped up immediately. "We're almost completely whole." He felt a spike of guilt about Kiba, who had acted to protect him, but at least the Knight was alive in the recovery room. And, Issei thought, he'd helped put them in the current position.

"Agreed." Rias spoke positively, decisively. "Everyone, Colony Drop is now in effect. We're taking him out." The plan had always amounted to all surviving peerage members converging on Riser's location, and bombarding him while Saji sapped his immortality. Colony Drop, though, was the best-case scenario, and brought Rias out of her base. Hopefully, this would mean that he'd get put down nice and fast.

Hopefully.

-xxxx-

"Good god," Aika murmured. "Look what they did to that jerk's peerage."

"He had it coming," Tsubasa murmured back, and there was very little sympathy in her tone. "I feel kinda bad for them, but it sounds like Ravel-sama will take care of them."

"Almost done," Reya said softly. "This is almost done…" Her eyes glanced towards Sona, and after a moment Aika and Tsubasa looked her way as well.

"Drive it home," Sona whispered. Her eyes were fixed on the display, her hands gripping Issei's uniform blazer almost hard enough to tear it. "Do it _now_ , anata."

* * *

"Okay, we're here." Kaori looked at Saji as they waited in the main school building's foyer. The Pawn had promoted to Knight for the broken-field run to Riser's base, and he had kept half-cringing the entire way there, as if expecting him to descend while throwing fireballs. Not an unreasonable fear, really, but still… "You sure you're up to this, Saji-kun?"

Saji nodded as he straightened up, color returning to his face. "Yeah. Just nervous…"

"I can understand that," Kaori told him. "I know you'll be fine, though." She put as much reassurance into her tone as she could. He'd sure put in the work over the last week, and Absorption Line had proven that it could sap a Devil's innate powers as much as anything from a Sacred Gear or Holy Sword. If it could weaken Rias's Power of Destruction to the point where she was basically throwing paintballs, surely Riser's immortality wouldn't be immune…

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Saji forcing a determined expression onto his face. "I'm sure kaichou will be proud of you," she said neutrally.

He winced slightly, then nodded. "I hope so," he replied. "But… I'm not that worried about it right now."

"Ah." Kaori nodded, keeping a knowing smile off her face. It was more of a struggle than she expected. "It's probably for the best. So you finally noticed Momo-san and Ruruko-chan, huh?"

Saji flushed, slumping his shoulders. After a moment, though, he let out a laugh. "I suppose everyone else knew."

Kaori patted his shoulder. "Well, if it's any consolation, you weren't the only one who was clueless."

Saji chuckled. "I guess that's true. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you," she said, coloring slightly. Before she could say anything else, she heard footsteps, and it became clear from his expression that he did too. They turned to see Issei and the others entering the foyer, and she smiled at Issei. He returned it as he approached, and reached out, squeezing her hands. She squeezed back, heedless of who might be watching.

"We're in the foyer," Akeno reported. "We're just waiting on you, Rias."

"...I'm not coming." Rias's voice sounded glum over the peerage's communications network. "I'm sorry. Go ahead without me."

"What do you mean, you're not coming in with us?" Issei sounded slightly indignant.

"I assure you, it wasn't my idea." Rias was started to sound pretty irritated, herself. "Evidently onii-sama thinks it's best if I stay where I am. Something about how the other Pillar families would react to us 'ganging up' on Riser in the endgame."

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Koneko retorted sourly. Kaori had to agree.

"I agree," Rias said darkly. "For that matter, onii-sama does, too. But he and otou-sama are already getting calls about how 'needlessly brutal' my peerage is being toward Riser's. Never mind that they weren't holding back, either…"

"So it's only okay if they and theirs do it," Kaori commented, letting out a snort. Her contemptuous tone was rather reflective of the general opinion towards the news.

"See, you're picking up Devil politics already." Rias sighed.

"I think we can probably manage, Rias," Akeno opined. She sounded just as disgusted, but she also sounded confident. "Even without you, we're in a very good position."

"Yes, you are," the Gremory heiress admitted. "Be careful about it, though." Kaori couldn't fault the note of caution in her voice. It was true that they had the best-case scenario right at their fingertips… but Rias's Power of Destruction would have sealed the deal.

"I have every confidence in you," Rias continued. All of them knew that, too. It was _Riser_ that she didn't trust… "Good hunting."

-xxxx-

Riser was waiting for them atop the roof of the main building. He snarled as Issei and the others fanned out, half-encircling him. The awareness of how quickly and deftly his peerage had been defeated was clearly taking its toll, whether he'd admit it or not. His eyes darted back and forth, and he moved with the jerky motions of someone in the throes of a full-bore adrenaline surge. There was more than that going on here, though.

"Finally," he snapped. His phoenix-fire cloaked him like a shroud, flickering and dancing wildly.

"Good morning, Riser-san," Akeno said cheerfully. "Your entire peerage is in the recovery room. I don't suppose we can convince you to end this gracefully."

"Low-born, half-crow _bitch_!" Riser thundered. Now that Issei got a closer look at his eyes, he saw that his pupils were dilated. He really didn't look sane right now… "You… you cheated!"

" _How_?!" Issei snapped. "By not standing there and letting you gun us down?"

" _Yes_!" Riser didn't even try to deny it. "I'm Riser Phenex, and you're low-born scum! You should be _honored_ to have me kill you and take your Sacred Gear. You should _all_ be honored to be my servants!"

"Oh, _fuck you_ , you yanki _fucker_!" Issei snarled. His own pyrokinesis awakened in turn, blue-white flames wrapping around him like a lover.

"That's kind of redundant, Issei-kun," Akeno noted conversationally.

" _Not_ helping, Akeno-nee!" the Rook hissed.

"Promotion: Queen! Absorption Line!" Saji yelled, his Sacred Gear appearing around his left wrist. He manifested Absorption Line's tendrils, and sent them snaking into Riser's phoenix flames. He winced at the sudden and painful spiritual feedback, but gritted his teeth and held on.

Riser laughed at the Pawn. "Idiot. What do you think you're doing? Do you really think low-born scum like you can - eh?" He blinked as his flames started flickering. For split-seconds at a time, then for one-second intervals.

"Do it _now_ , you guys!" Saji called out, blood starting to trickle from his nose. At the same time, he produced another tendril, snaking it up to Riser and attaching it to his right ankle. The Pawn's nose started bleeding faster as a result, but he hung on for dear life. He shot out a last one towards Akeno, channeling the stolen demonic energy into Rias's Queen, and Holy Lightning began to skirl and crackle around her. Asia, grim-faced, stepped up beside Saji, manifesting the strongest magical barrier she could muster and placing it in front of them.

"Thanks, Saji! Eat this, asshole!" Issei tossed his remaining ammunition into the air, shaping his hands into finger-guns. The bundles of roofing nails broke apart, then spun around his hands and arms like the rotating barrels of twin Gatling guns. As he did, he applied as much lightning magic as he could muster, wreathing his arms in golden-white static electricity and air distortion. "Railgun!" he snapped, leveling his arms with a flourish, miming a firing action, and the nails exploded forth, crackling with enough electrical current to flash-fry a razorback.

He fired every round he had left. No time to hold back anything that could be spared.

Sixty electrified roofing nails exploded into Riser Phenex's face at somewhere north of Mach 6. With Saji's Sacred Gear sapping his pyrokinesis and regeneration, the result was predictable.

Riser screamed in pain and staggered backwards, knocked ass over teakettle by the sheer kinetic impact of so many projectiles hitting simultaneously. It was the scream of someone used to inflicting agony on others, but who had never experienced it himself. His entire upper body was a bloody mess: the iron projectiles that hadn't blown right through him pincushioned his torso, and his upper body still crackled with electricity. Somehow, though, he managed to keep from going entirely prone. His wounds were starting to knit, but with agonizing slowness.

The minute his projectiles had hit, Issei summoned his mother's blue-white fire around his hands. " _Rekka-dan_!" he snarled, starting to pelt Riser with the explosive flames as he approached.

"Sempai - " Saji started to call out, but Akeno was already responding. She spread out her hands, her signature magical circles flaring to life, and her Holy Lightning began to rain down upon the Phenex King. Enhanced with Storm Dancer and the power stolen from Riser, she had become a one-woman thunderstorm, a walking person of mass destruction, and it showed. The Holy Lightning bit into Riser's body again and again, causing more screams and an unpleasant fragrance of scorched flesh. The Queen curled her lips upward in a cruelly-pleased smile, and kept the Holy attacks coming.

The goal, of course, was to pile on the hurt faster than his body could heal it. Saji was managing to weaken both Riser's pyrokinesis and his regeneration, but even though he was Promoted to Bishop, it was taking almost everything he had. It was up to Issei and Akeno to finish this as fast as possible.

Issei knew he was short on ammo now, and that Akeno had the ranged combat covered, so he needed to be doing what a Rook was _actually_ supposed to be good for. With a snarl, he hurled himself at Riser, and Unknown Dictator called the remaining ferrous debris to him, shaping it into jagged, spiked gauntlets around his hands. He charged the gauntlets with fire and lightning, and drove one into the high-class Devil's face, and then the other. Koneko dove in from the other side, keeping her punches and blows low to try and keep Riser off his feet. Clusters of shadow-blades kept popping up in his shadow, as well, courtesy of Kaori. The Knight kept jerking her blade around randomly, trying to keep Riser hemmed in and unable to catch his breath.

Rinse and repeat.

No time to hold anything back, after all.

Holy Lightning snapped down in the seconds between Issei's and Koneko's strikes. He and Akeno had put a lot of effort into synchronizing their attacks. It had only taken a few accidental zaps with that attack ( _probably_ accidental; it _was_ Akeno, after all) to convince him to tighten up his timing.

As they curbstomped Riser, Issei got another good look at his wounds, and what he saw was heartening: Absorption Line was doing the job, slowing Riser's healing factor considerably. He was a scorched, crackling, bloody mess, though, and the fact that he had kept trying to pull himself back upright was _not_ encouraging. Was it just willpower - or spite - that had put him back on his feet, or was it something more…?

The thought wouldn't quite let go, and suddenly Riser was reacting. His expression was angry and agonizing, but somehow he was managing to push through the pain long enough to shove past Issei, and pull together his phoenix-fire. Issei whipped back around to him, already beginning to form _Rekka-dan_ s, but he was merely a talented beginner. _Riser_ had the advantage of lifelong training in _his_ pyrokinesis, and he was sending it pouring forth in a torrent at Asia. "Fucking willworker _whore_!" he howled furiously.

Asia's barrier flared brightly, resisting the brilliant flames. After a few minutes, however, it began buckling and showing cracks. Smoke and sparks skirled around her, but she gritted her teeth and pushed her will into it. "Saji-san, keep draining him!" she gritted out, sweat plastering her golden bangs to her forehead.

"Doing my best!" Saji yelled back. "Do you want me to move, so he'll lighten up on you?"

Cracks started spiderwebbing across the shield again, and this time Asia's will wasn't sufficient to smooth them away. She shook her head sharply, instead shifting so that her body was fully in front of Saji's. The Pawn started to protest, but snapped his mouth shut, instead pushing as much of his own will into Absorption Line as he could. The faster he could finish this -

Issei resumed firing _Rekka-dan_ s at Riser, and the high-class Devil was now ablaze in blue flame. His howls of anger and pain began to swing more towards pain, but his attack on Asia continued unabated. It was as if taking her down would be a moral victory for him.

"Dammit, stop!" Issei yelled. "Stop it _now_ , dammit!" That only made Riser smile, albeit a smile that was pained.

A moment later, he wasn't smiling anymore, and was in fact toppling over, his torrent of phoenix-fire lashing upwards at nothing before petering out. Asia's barrier shattered, and she slumped to the ground, barely conscious but her face etched with relief.

Issei blinked, looking to see - "Kaori!" he blurted out, pleasantly surprised. The Knight had stepped through his shadow while his attention had been totally on Asia, beginning an iaijutsu draw even before she'd finished the transit. Yozoragiri had made a bloody hash of his hamstrings, and the Holy Sword's touch further blunted his weakened regeneration.

Yet, even as she whirled the blade above his head to deliver a coup de grace, Riser, managed one last burst of phoenix-fire, right into Kaori's face. She only had time to widen her eyes

"Gremory Knight, retired," Grayfia pronounced, her tone softly disapproving. By now, she had abandoned any pretense of neutrality.

" _Kaori_!" Issei screamed as the Knight disappeared in a flash of light. His eyes shifted back to Riser, his nostrils flaring, and with a cry of rage he surged upwards, exploding into his dragon form. His shriek now taking on a basso quality, he spat his mother's blue-white flames at the Phenex King. As they struck Riser, he hurled himself after the attacks, dropping his bulk onto Riser, then rearing back and doing it again, and then again, and yet again. By the third impact, the rooftop was cracked and buckling.

Issei's friends could only stare, awestruck. Well, that, and keep moving so that they weren't _quite_ standing at ground zero.

-xxxx-

"Sweet Maou," Ravel whispered, watching the carnage unfold. She'd been right, after all. That was indisputable. But she hadn't expected to be _this_ right…

Rias's servants were fighting with everything they had, as if their lives depended on a win. It wasn't even a lie. Hyoudou-san's life clearly hung in the balance, although she had a suspicion that several people in Sona-san's peerage, including Sona-san herself, had planned for the possibility of failure. They were throwing - what was that human expression? "Everything but the kitchen sink," that was it. That's what they were throwing at onii-sama.

And onii-sama had no choice but to take it… exactly as he'd left _his_ opponents with no choice. It was a testament to his strength as a high-class Devil that he hadn't keeled over immediately, but it was just a matter of time at this point. The Pawn with the Vritra Gear was the one making it possible; she wondered who had come up with that idea. It was undeniably clever. And the Holy Swordswoman had sealed the deal with her last strike, effectively immobilizing onii-sama. But it was Himejima-san and Hyoudou-san who were carrying the weight of this, and the sheer destructive power they had brought to bear was staggering. And then Murayama had been retired, and Hyoudou had… gone berserk.

The outcome was no longer in doubt. No one, save perhaps onii-sama with his near-unassailable arrogance, could doubt it.

Ravel just hoped onii-sama had enough sense to resign before anything permanent happened. Maybe this would be good for him, teach him not to treat his opponents with contempt.

She hoped.

-xxxx-

Issei reverted to human form, and there was murder in his eyes. "Resign now!" He made a sharp gesture, and the remaining ferrous debris shaped itself into scores of electrified flechettes, hovering in the air and poised to strike. He pointed them at Riser's inner thighs.

(Truth be told, he was pissed off enough to want to do it even if Riser _did_ surrender. Seeing him blast Kaori out of the game had made his blood boil. Only the knowledge that she was actually alive and being healed was staying his hand.)

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Saji was not only on his knees, but was half-bent over, struggling to stay awake. Absorption Line's tendrils were glowing and shimmering in a fashion that was _not_ reassuring. Akeno was in slightly better shape, but she was clearly exhausted from being a one-woman photokinetic supercell. Asia was clearly on the verge of passing out, and Koneko was upright but haggard. If Riser managed to rally now, he wasn't sure they could repulse him again.

"Resign _now_ , dammit, or I'll make a pincushion outta your nads!" He thundered, trembling.

"F… fine… fine!" Riser snarled… or tried to. It came out as closer to a petulant whimper. He was prone, his wounds still open and bleeding, his hamstrings still bloodied and severed from Kaori's last-ditch attack, his body crackling from multiple electrical strikes and smoking from the Holy-aspected attacks and _Rekka-dan_ blasts, multiple bones cracked or broken from Issei's repeated draconic bodyslams, his regeneration slowed almost to nil, his phoenix's fire flickering and stuttering. He was the picture of defeat, and looked as though he were dining on ashes. "I… I resign…" He vanished from the rooftop in a flare of light.

"Phenex King, resigned." Grayfia's voice was quietly relieved. "Winner, Rias Gremory's peerage. Congratulations."

Issei sagged to his knees in relief, the ferrous fragments falling to the ground. He looked over at the others, giving them a grin of approval.

Asia managed a weary smile. "Oh. Good. It's over." She sank down against the wall, closing her eyes. Issei had never realized that she snored…

Koneko leaned against the wall herself, looking up at the faux-sky. "That was too close," she said solemnly.

Issei nodded, rubbing his neck. "Yeah…"

Saji flopped over on his side, pulling himself into a cross-legged sitting position after a moment. Absorption Line's tendrils finally flickered out, and the gauntlet vanished with an almost audible sigh of relief. He returned Issei's smile with an exhausted one of his own, and then said tiredly, "'I'll make a pincushion outta your nads?' What are you, _ten_?!"

"It was the first thing to come to mind!" Issei protested, his cheeks heating.

Akeno lowered herself carefully into seiza, smiling slyly. "I think you made the right move, Issei-kun. As you've seen, Riser is motivated primarily by his ego and libido. Because of Saji-kun, the risk of losing the source of the latter, even if he knows _intellectually_ that it can be healed…"

The rooftop disappeared in a wash of sparkling light, and Issei found himself and the others in the viewing gallery. The first thing he saw was Sona and Kaori approaching him. He rose carefully to his feet, just in time to be knocked back against the wall by the force of their combined embrace.

"Easy," he said softly, wrapping his arms tightly around them and kissing their cheeks. "It's fine, we're fine." He kept repeating this over and over, kissing first Sona's hair, then Kaori's, trying to lose himself in their combined scent. His exhaustion was making it hard to stay upright, even with a Rook's resilience, but he wasn't about to let himself fall over until they relaxed.

That was his intention, anyway. No sooner had Sona's mouth, then Kaori's, found his, than tension started leaving his body. He slumped against the two of them, a silly smile on his face. As such, he wasn't sure just who started the clapping, but soon the viewing gallery rang with the sounds of celebration.

* * *

Sona stepped out of the en-suite bathroom, smoothing down her dress. She gave Issei a slightly nervous smile. "How does it look?"

"You look amazing," Issei told her, trying not to drool. She wore a full-length sheath dress that matched her eyes. It had spaghetti straps, and was slit up her left thigh to allow for movement. She wore matching heels, and carried a matching clutch under her left arm. Her customary gold hair clip was still in place, but a delicate-looking hairpin made from malachite held her hair up in a quasi-French twist. He couldn't tell whether she was wearing light blush, or was simply flushed. Either way, he wanted to kiss her until they were both out of breath, and he told her as much.

Sona smirked and gave him a quick kiss. "Consider that a down payment for later." She looked Issei up and down as well, clearly pleased with what she saw. "I very much like what I see, as well. That tuxedo suits you."

"Glad you think so," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "The Gremory tailors work fast, I guess." He gave himself a critical side-eye in the mirror. The black tuxedo and matching loafers fit him almost as well as the suit Sona had gotten him. It was slightly different than the norm, featuring an ivory banded-collar shirt, a double-breasted jacket, and a cherry-red pocket square. He'd done his best to tame his hair into something resembling respectable, but that was probably a lost cause at this point.

"You're going to hold onto that tux," Sona told him. Her smirk had turned into a proud smile, as if she were a wife whose husband was about to receive a prestigious award. Which, when he thought about it, wasn't all that far off the mark. "I think there'll be quite a few instances where you'll need it."

"I don't doubt it," Issei replied, his own smile a little rueful. "Sounds a little exhausting."

"We'll minimize how much that interferes with us," she promised him, and looked up. The smile turned thoughtful. "That'll be Kaori."

"You sound awfully certain of that," he commented, and opened the door. For the second time in five minutes, his eyes went wide, and he was stunned speechless by feminine beauty.

"Hi." Kaori didn't quite meet his eyes, and her cheeks were pink. She wore a midnight-blue tomosode with a crimson obi, and her hair was tied in a high ponytail with a ribbon that matched her obi. It made her look a little like Akeno, but she pulled the look off way better in Issei's opinion. Finally, she met his eyes, and smiled softly. "Ise, look at you… you look so handsome tonight."

"You too," he told her quickly. "I mean, gorgeous. Both of you."

"Thank you," she said, and shifted her gaze to Sona, relaxing slightly. "Sona-san, that dress is beautiful! You look great."

"As do you, Kaori," Sona said approvingly. "And as far as I'm concerned, you can forego the honorific when it's just us."

"Sona, then," Kaori said slowly, clearly testing how the words felt on her lips. "That'll take some getting used to." Her smile had relaxed by now, though. "Are you two ready? I think the party's ready to begin."

"I'm still surprised that Rias-sempai's parents went ahead with the party," Issei commented. "I thought they wanted the marriage."

"Lord Gremory is a nice man, but… not reliably resolute," Sona answered, wrinkling her nose slightly. "I believe he had buyer's remorse about the arrangement almost immediately, but couldn't find what he felt was a 'respectable' way to free Rias from it. And Lady Gremory was never happy with it to begin with." She shrugged. "So, now it's a celebration for her peerage and allies' victory in her first Rating Game. The food was already made, after all."

"I guess that's the kind of thing we'll have to learn to deal with," Kaori said.

"Yes." Sona nodded in confirmation. "The learning curve should be far gentler than this, though." She gave her Rook and Knight - now, her future husband and co-wife - an approving look. "You two, and Saji-kun, made the victory possible, and the House of Gremory realizes that. Whatever anyone else may think, you're heroes. So enjoy the party." She caught the look in Issei's eye, and smirked. "No, Issei-kun, we can't just skip the party and hang out here."

Kaori pinked again, but this time it was at least half from trying to suppress a snicker. Issei turned cherry-red, and grinned bashfully. "Stop seeing right through me, Sona-chan."

"Stop being transparent then, Ise," Kaori laughed, and took his left arm.

"She's right, anata," Sona said, her smirk turning back into a smile. She sidled up on his right side, claiming that arm.

Issei looked from right to left. Their scents were, somehow, blending harmoniously. It was as though the kitchen window had been thrown open, and the floral scents from the garden were wafting into the house while the fresh-baked cookie aroma was seeping out. Words couldn't fully describe how he felt right now. "Overjoyed" probably came closest, although… somehow, it didn't feel quite complete. Like there was still a missing piece or two… or maybe three… No, he told himself, that would be greedy, at least for right now. "Are you ready?"

Sona nodded, and Kaori said, "Let's go."

"All right, then," he agreed, and the three of them strode down the hall towards the ballroom. The rest of Sona's peerage awaited them outside the double doors, and formal wear was apparently the uniform of the day.

Tsubaki was dressed similarly to Kaori, but her tomosode was a deep forest-green. She shifted slightly on her feet, her equivalent of anyone else's blatant fidgeting. (Clearly, she was eager to join the party… or to see Kiba. It was probably the same thing to her.)

Tomoe wore a white A-line dress with an embellished halter bodice. Her hair was out of its normal twintails, styled into a neat half-updo, and she was already catching admiring looks from the male Devils coming in and out of the ballroom. (Honestly, all the girls in the peerage were, but Tomoe seemed to be a special case. It was probably her innate upbeatness. The fact that she was virtually vibrating with excitement probably didn't hurt, though.)

Saji was also in a tuxedo, though his dinner jacket was snow-white to contrast with the jet-black pants. He wore a wine-red bow tie and black Oxfords, and kept fiddling with his tie.

Ruruko wore a navy-blue A-line dress with a lace bodice. She wore her hair down and wavy tonight, which prompted a double-take from Issei (and snickers from Sona and Kaori).

Momo wore a teal knee-length sheath dress with corset-style ties criss-crossing down her back. She smiled and moved easily in it, as if she'd long since become accustomed to such dresses. Both she and Ruruko were clearly oriented on Saji, and remarkably, he was not only aware this time, but was reciprocating. Issei relaxed his shoulders slightly, and caught a curious look from Kaori out of the corner of his eye. Sona just nodded slightly; it was unsurprising that she'd already sussed out what was going on.

Issei then spotted his last three peerage-mates, and for a moment he had trouble breathing. It was just like seeing Sona and Kaori, if not quite as intense… yet. (Somehow, he knew that the "yet" was undeniable.)

Tsubasa wore a knee-length dress with an illusion-inset bodice, and it highlighted her figure magnificently. The dress was a shade or two lighter than her hair, which was worn normally. It was almost as if that were a nonchalant statement of "there's only so dressy you can get me," and it worked with that dress. Oh, man, did it work. The scent of fresh-picked strawberries that always surrounded her started to grow stronger. Her lips quirked upward in a smile as her eyes met his.

Reya was dressed in a tulip-skirt V-neck wrap party dress with spaghetti straps. (Issei would later realize that the dress perfectly matched his pocket square.) The bodice did very nice things for her bust, and Issei couldn't quite keep his eyes off the floppy side-tie. The thought of tugging it loose flashed through his mind, and Reya's tolerant smile suggested that she guessed the direction his thoughts went. The Bishop wore her long hair down tonight; it fell past her waist, and was wavy and lustrous. That fragrance that he associated with her - the baked apples and cinnamon - was stronger than it had ever been before.

Finally, Aika's hair was actually somewhat tamed. Her bangs were neatly combed, and her hair was out of its usual messy-cute pigtails, instead styled into a neat medium-length braid draped over her left shoulder. She was dressed in a strapless wine-colored jersey-style sheath dress, with a black bolero jacket worn over it. This was the first time Issei had seen her wear something that really featured her cleavage, and it was a real struggle to keep his eyes above her waist this time. She smirked a good-natured smirk in response, and her own eyes dipped down for a moment, the smirk momentarily becoming an approving grin. He could almost taste the peppermint ice cream and cold milk that she smelled like.

He cleared his throat, and had to clear it again before he could actually speak. "Everyone looks great tonight."

"You too, Icchan," Tsubasa told him with a smile.

Tsubaki nodded briskly. "Indeed. Shall we, kaichou?"

Sona gave her a "go ahead" gesture. "By all means."

Tsubaki pushed the double doors open, and Sona Sitri's peerage entered the ballroom.

-xxxx-

"Is that him, Alivan?"

The Agares Queen looked at his King. "Yes, Seekvaira-sama. That's Hyoudou Issei."

"Interesting." The beautiful, bespectacled woman cocked her head, studying the young man. "You know his father, correct?" she asked.

"Yes, he's an old friend. Hyoudou Gorou is a Japanese dragon of some note. Some of it is even complimentary." He snorted in mild amusement, smirking as he poked good-natured fun at his friend's reputation.

Seekvaira smiled faintly herself. She knew her Queen's sense of humor well. "So you believe the report from their match?"

"Indeed, I do." The dragon-turned-Devil stroked his chin. "He has both his parents' talents, and it's rather telling that he won Sona-sama's heart. He's definitely one to watch."

"I think I agree," Seekvaira mused softly, sipping at her flute of champagne. Her face was impassive, but her cerise eyes were thoughtful.

-xxxx-

" _That's_ the guy who kicked Riser Phenex's ass?" The thuggish-looking man with spiky teal hair shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe it. He looks like a stiff wind could knock him on his ass."

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Zephyrdor." At the sound of the gentle chiding, Zephyrdor turned a dirty look on the speaker. The well-built man, goateed man had a completely shaved head, and wore ceremonial armor over his formal robes. The look was typical of his uncle Falbium… or, as he was better known, Falbium Asmodeus. "He may not look like much," the elder Devil continued amiably, "but both Serafall and Ajuka consider him a friend. Not to mention Sona. Remember, she doesn't suffer fools lightly."

"I dunno what _you're_ talking about, oji-san," Zephyrdor snorted. "She's never been particularly kind to me." The brief smirk on Falbium's face confused him.

"That's as may be, then," Falbium added after a moment. "Be cordial, at least, if you two encounter each other tonight."

Zephyrdor shrugged. He had better things to do than deal with a jumped-up reincarnate tonight.

-xxxx-

"So. That's the boy they're already calling the 'Phoenix Buster.'" The speaker was a lovely blonde with turquoise eyes, clad in a simple but elegant gown.

"So it is," her companion agreed. His hair was bluish-black and slightly shaggy, his eyes violet, and the understated cut of his formal clothes did little to disguise the restrained power in his physique. "Watch the rest of the Pillars present. All they seem to see is a reincarnate." He snorted softly. "Idiots. Not one of them seems to have seen the footage from Kyoto."

"Why would they? What's there that's important to a member of the Pillars?" The woman's tone was a nearly pitch-perfect mockery of an average scion of the 72 Pillars. "I've heard the tongue-wagging about Sona-sama. There's more than one young man pissed off that she wouldn't 'be reasonable' with her standards, and the thought of a reincarnate just pisses them off."

"We already knew the Underworld was full of idiots, Kuisha," he said, smiling faintly. "I imagine she's paying them exactly as much attention as they deserve."

"None, you mean," Kuisha replied with a grin.

He nodded a salute to her, but his eyes kept drifting back to the young man.

"If I didn't know better, Sairaorg-sama, I'd think you had a crush," she teased.

"You're the only one for me, Kuisha." Sairaorg reached up and caressed her face, a rare moment of public affection. "But he's intriguing." He was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Remind me to speak to Sona at the Young Devils Gathering. I want to see her peerage in action. I had thought that it would be Rias who would put together a true challenge, but…" He trailed off meaningfully.

"Yes, Sairaorg-sama."

-xxxx-

"You all look wonderful." Rias met them with a huge smile. She wore a close-fitting cyan cocktail dress that matched her eyes. "Please, let me introduce my parents." She gestured to two elegantly-attired figures who looked little older than Sirzechs. "My father, Zeoticus, Duke of Gremory, and his lady wife, my mother Venelana. Otou-sama, okaa-sama, these are the members of Sona's peerage who helped mine triumph."

She first indicated Saji. "Saji Genshirou-kun, her Pawn." Her hand then gestured to Kaori. "Murayama Kaori-san, her newest Knight." Finally, she turned to Issei. "And her new Rook, Hyoudou Issei-kun." That smile turned mischievous. "He's also her fiance."

"We've heard about all of you." Zeoticus wore his hair long and sported a tidy goatee. He shook each of their hands in turn, and looked especially pleased to meet Issei. "I'm most grateful to the three of you for assisting Rias."

"Yes, indeed." Venelana was, essentially, a slightly-older version of Rias with light-brown hair, albeit with violet eyes, and her dress made the most of her exquisite figure. "Sona-chan, everyone, we owe you a debt." She grimaced, giving her husband a mildly baleful look. "We really never should have agreed to that engagement in the first place."

Zeoticus didn't - exactly - cringe, but it was clear that he was cowed by his wife. It was more than a little reminiscent of Sirzechs and Grayfia. "I know, Lana. I already agreed with you about that."

Issei rubbed the back of his head. "It was no trouble, really," he said. It was a blatant lie, of course, but it was the kind of blatant lie polite society demanded. "We were glad to help."

"And that only makes us more grateful." Venelana gave Issei a motherly smile. "Please, make yourselves at home."

Rias gestured expansively to the massive ballroom. The buffet table and open bar were already doing a brisk trade, and couples were circulating through the dance floor. "It's as much your party as mine, now. There are people here who don't like that fact, but they can go to heaven."

"Language, Rias," Venelana said mildly. Rias just snorted, and Venelana made a show of shaking her head at her daughter's unladylike behavior. It had the appearance of an old family joke, and Issei couldn't help joining in the ripple of laughter.

"There you guys are." Issei turned, and blinked. For a moment, he seemed to be staring at a slightly-older version of himself and Kaori, except he was wearing glasses and she had her combed back in a neat ponytail. Then the penny dropped, and he realized he was looking at his parents… as they truly were.

 _One more thing to get used to,_ he thought. Aloud, he said, "I didn't know you were looking for us, tou-san, kaa-san."

"Serafall-san asked us to make sure you guys stayed put," Gorou said cheerily. "She has someone she wants you to meet." Out of the corner of his eye, Issei say Sona's expression shift to curiosity. "Zeoticus-san, Venelana-san, it's been some time. You're both looking very well."

"As are you two," Zeoticus answered, inclining his head. "When was the last time? That dreadful business in Tanegashima?"

"I believe so." Rio gave them a polite bow. "It's good to see you two again."

"You have no excuse not to visit," Venelana said meaningfully. "Particularly since our children know each other now."

"There really _isn't_ anyone you two don't know, is there?" Issei said, his tone somewhere between amused and exasperated. He still had no idea why he'd been kept in the dark about his parents' involvement with the supernatural world, although he was starting to think it stemmed from all the introductions they would have had to make.

"Oh, good!" Serafall approached. For once, she wasn't dressed like a magical girl. The long grey skirt, forest-green blouse, and black ascot made her look like a schoolteacher, but the effect was surprisingly professional - for the first time, Issei mused, she looked like the co-ruler of Devilkind that she was.

Serafall was accompanied by four people. The first, her body language strangely reminiscent of Tsubaki's when she was around Sona, was a quietly-pretty girl with wine-colored eyes and wavy, shoulder-length pinkish-beige hair. She wore a dove-grey sheath dress with a wine-colored wrap around her shoulders, and radiated an aura of calm competence.

The second was a handsome blond man with a sleepily amiable expression. His golden eyes seemed to be almost completely closed, although when Issei caught sight of them, they were piercingly intelligent. He wore a cobalt-blue tailored business suit with a black Oxford shirt and crimson necktie, and seemed to be nursing a glass of something electric-blue. (Literally electric, in this case; Issei could swear that he saw actual sparks of static electricity in the azure liquid.) He and the pink-haired girl had their bodies subtly oriented on each other. Something about them suggested that they had known each other for a long time, in every possible interpretation of the word.

The third was a man who appeared to be in healthy, vigorous middle age. He had iron-grey hair and aquiline features, and his brown eyes were both gentle and wise. Even the scar across his face only added to his air of quiet gravitas. Like the blond man, he wore a dark-blue suit, although his white shirt was a banded-collar one, just like Issei's.

The last figure was a beautiful Eurasian woman in a black cocktail dress. She wore her dark hair up in a loose bun and had her hands wrapped around the grey-haired man's arm. She appeared to be a few years younger than her companion, and gave off an air of calm, confident competence. Like the other pair, she and her companion seemed to have been lovers for a long time.

Sona spoke, her tone one of pleased surprise. "Oji-sama! Catherine-obasama!" She smiled with an intensity Issei had rarely seen.

"Hello, Sona-chan." The man offered her a hug, and they embraced enthusiastically, and the scene repeated a moment later with the Eurasian woman. Eventually, Sona turned back towards Issei, still smiling, "Oji-sama, this is Hyoudou Issei-kun and Murayama Kaori, my fiancees." She pinked slightly as she said that, but still looked pleased. "Issei-kun, Kaori, this is my uncle, Valen Sitri, and my aunt, his Queen and wife, Catherine Sakai. And with them are onee-sama's Queen, Behemoth-san, and her Bishop, Ziz-san."

Issei bowed quickly and deeply. Somehow, he was more impressed by these people than by the demeanor that Devilkind's actual rulers seemed to present. "Ah. Um, I'm pleased to meet you all." Kaori did likewise, although he sensed some mild amusement from her.

"Nice to formally meet you, Hyoudou-kun," Behemoth said with a wry smile. "And you, Murayama-san. All I can say is that you must have made quite the impression on Ravel-chan. She made a point of contacting me on your behalf."

"That has to be an exaggeration" Issei felt his face heat slightly.

Valen offered Issei his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Issei-kun. Sona's spoken of little beside you in her letters." After shaking his hand, he shook Kaori and Saji's hands in turn, before turning his slight smile on Rias. "Rias-chan, you're looking well."

"Thank you. It's been ages," Rias replied, her smile now more relaxed. "It's a pleasant surprise to see you here. I thought you were still studying in Torino."

"We're taking a break," Catherine explained. "Valen wanted to come back and touch base with family."

"And Serafall knew we'd come back to the Underworld," Valen finished. "She has a sense for that sort of thing." He smiled. "Don't let us keep you guys from enjoying the party, though. We'll be in the Underworld for a while. There'll be plenty of time for us to catch up."

Sona bit her lip, looking torn. "Are you sure, oji-sama?"

"Go on with you." Catherine gave Sona a gentle quasi-shove. "Have fun with your friends."

Sona nodded after a minute, reaching for Issei's hand. He felt Kaori take his other one. "We'll see you later, then."

"Just let us old folks catch up with each other," Gorou opined, chuckling.

Sona smiled slightly, and let Issei tug her and Kaori in the direction of the dance floor. She let out a sigh of satisfaction. "That was a nice surprise from onee-sama."

"Yeah," Issei agreed. "Your aunt and uncle seem nice."

"What did sempai mean about them studying somewhere?" Kaori asked curiously as they weaved their way through the dancing couples. "Are they teachers or something?"

"Sort of," Sona explained. "They're explorers and archaeologists. Oji-sama's specialty is finding and researching Sacred Gears. He'll probably want to quiz you about yours at some point, Issei-kun."

"That seems fair," Issei said. "Maybe he'll be able to tell me something that Ajuka-sama can't."

"It's possible," Sona told him. "He and Ajuka-sama are generally considered our leading experts on Sacred Gears. There are rumors, though, that the leader of the Fallen Angels may know even more… I doubt you'll have a chance to ask _him_ anytime soon, though."

"Probably not," Kaori opined. "Let's let that rest for the moment, though." She grinned at Issei. "I think you owe us some dances."

"Hmm. I think Kaori is right," Sona said, her smile shifting into a smirk. "Trade-off?"

Kaori nodded, making a show of looking thoughtful. "I assume you want to go first."

"This time, you can," Sona told her, catching Rias making her way towards them. "I think Rias wants to talk first. But I _will_ be along to collect soon."

"I don't get a choice in this, do I?" Issei tried to sound put-upon, but he could not muster any kind of real objection.

His fiancees turned to him, affection and amusement writ plain on their features. "Nope," they said in unison.

-xxxx-

"I still can't believe we pulled it off." Rias was giddy. She had _been_ giddy, in fact, since the end of the match. She had also, Sona observed with mildly-concerned amusement, not slept a wink since its conclusion. Everyone else had; she and Issei had collapsed on the bed in their guest suite sometime around 2 a.m., too drained to even fool around. They'd only stirred long enough to pull Kaori into the pile when she'd come to check on them.

"I had faith," Sona told her with a smile. "It was a little close at times, but you grabbed the initiative and kept the momentum." She raised the flute of sparkling cider in a salute. "You did well."

"With your help," Rias replied, returning the toast. "And your people. Especially Hyoudou-kun." She glanced across the room, and Sona followed her eyes. What she saw made her grin: Issei and Kaori, trying their best not to stumble their way through a waltz, but having fun flailing around together.

"It's almost a pity I didn't meet him first," Rias said, her voice faintly wistful.

Sona snorted, shaking her head. "I don't think we'd share well."

"No, probably not." It was Rias's turn to let out an amused snort. "If only he had a twin brother…"

"I'm not comfortable with where this is going," Sona said, her tone suddenly going cool.

Rias waved her hands quickly in protest. "Don't worry! I couldn't ever see him as anything but a little brother. Someone _like_ him, though…" She shook her head. "After all, it's not like the issue is resolved forever. Sooner or later, someone's going to sweet-talk otou-sama again, and this time, they'll know better than to give me a loophole."

Sona looked at her thoughtfully. After several minutes, during which Rias began to squirm under the scrutiny, she finally said, "Maybe what you need is something to hold those suitors at bay. Just until you can find a more permanent solution."

Rias nodded slowly. "That's exactly what I need." She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes slightly. "What are you thinking of?"

Sona nodded towards the door to the balcony. "Not in here. Too many prying ears."

-xxxx-

It had been a good night, Issei reflected. Alternating dancing with Sona and Kaori had been fun, even if he still had two left feet when it came to actual dances themselves. At least with slow dances, though, it was more an excuse to hold each other and sway to the music than anything else.

The slow love song being played was winding down when he realized someone was waiting for him. Tsubasa stood there, smiling lopsidedly. There was an odd something to that smile, though. "Mind if I cut in?"

Issei's eyes shifted to Kaori, who raised both eyebrows. After a moment, she smirked good-naturedly and held up a finger. "One dance. You may get more if you behave." She slid gracefully out of Issei's arms. "I'm going to get something to eat. Want me to fix you a plate?"

"Yeah, thank you. They had what looked like some yakitori skewers…"

Kaori slapped him gently on the shoulder. "Find me when you're done. Have fun…" She glided off into the crowd, humming softly.

"You two seem to be having a good time tonight," Tsubasa teased as they danced. His fellow Rook was almost as light on her feet as Kaori, and slightly better at compensating for Issei's clumsiness.

"So do you," Issei countered lightly, trying to will the heat away from his face. It wasn't working. The two of them worked their way around the dance floor, and the scent of freshly-picked strawberries grew stronger in his nostrils. He could almost taste them. He wanted to know if her kisses would taste like them.

 _I can't just keep tamping it down,_ he thought to himself. _I want Basa-chan, too. And Aika-san, and Reya-san. And the more I think about it, the more I think that they don't mind the idea…_

"Hey," he said softly. "I want to talk to you about something." As she cocked her head thoughtfully, he hurriedly added, "Nothing bad. Just something that's been on my mind. Tomorrow?"

"Sure," Tsubasa replied. Her smile turned slightly mischievous. " _Just_ me?"

Issei chuckled nervously. "...no."

"Mmm. That's about what I thought." _That_ admission on her part raised his eyebrows. Tsubasa just grinned at his reaction. "Tomorrow, then. Talk to the others."

* * *

"Well. That was quite a party." Issei grinned punchily at Sona and Kaori, and their smiles of response were just as sloppy and tired.

For all the pomp and spectacle of the ball, they hadn't actually stayed that long. After about two hours, Rias had quietly beckoned Sona over, and after a moment she'd assembled her peerage alongside Rias's. Serafall, Behemoth, and Ziz had been present as well, and (much to Issei's surprise), his parents, as well as Sirzechs and Grayfia and Sona's aunt and uncle, had been there too.

Rias had worn an impish smile as she summoned a teleportation circle and whisked all of them away. When the light faded, they were standing in the very same karaoke joint where they'd celebrated Freed Sellzen's defeat. And this time, the Gremory heiress announced gleefully, she'd arranged for them to have the complete run of the place.

They violated numerous noise ordinances that evening. By even human standards, this more informal victory party wasn't particularly wild - Issei didn't _think_ there had been any orgies, although he hadn't tried too hard to keep track of where his parents had gotten off to. But the very informality of it (Sona and Rias had both had pointed comments on the judgmental eyes of the other Pillar families), coupled with the slow-bleeding tension and giddiness from the day's earlier events, had brought with it a need to relax and let loose. And if that caused them to be overly enthusiastic with the mikes and equipment, well, the House of Gremory was well-known for its generosity.

And that, he concluded muzzily, was why they were only returning to the Gremory estate at 2:30 in the morning. It probably would have been later, if Grayfia had not been drunk enough to start singing Sade. (According to Rias, that was a sure sign that she and Sirzechs were about to… get amorous in public. Issei was both relieved and disappointed to miss that.)

"So…" Kaori leaned against him, as he slipped one arm around her waist and the other around Sona's. "Now what…?"

"Well, how about this…?" Issei leaned down, and they kissed lingeringly. As they slowly broke the kiss, he turned towards Sona, and their kiss lingered longer. Sona reached out, wrapping one arm around Kaori's waist, and she let out a soft sound as she was drawn closer. In the dim light, her expression was both anticipatory and nervous.

Issei managed a reassuring smile. The urge to be balls-deep inside both his fiancees (simultaneously, and somehow he knew that was possible, even if he didn't know _how_ ) threatened to overwhelm him for a moment, but he managed to choke it back. "We don't have to rush things. We can move as quickly, or as slowly, as you're comfortable with."

"Yes. After all, you and Issei-kun have only been engaged for a day," Sona agreed, her voice soft and husky now. (It made her sound even more erotic than usual, and Issei suppressed a shiver.) "You don't need to push yourself further than you're ready for, Kaori."

Kaori's expression mingled relief and guilt, disappointment and desire. "I want to… do stuff. I'm just not ready for… that tonight. I wish I were."

"We waited a whole week after we got together," Sona said, her smile atypically mischievous.

Kaori's face pinked prettily, and she laughed. "A whole week. Now that's willpower…"

"I have an idea to relax us," Sona continued. "We don't need to rush, and it's better that we simply enjoy each other's company rather than try to reach notional milestones." Her violet eyes shone in the dim light. "Interested?"

Kaori cocked her head, her body language relaxing. "What did you have in mind?"

-xxxx-

"Oh my god, it _is_!" Kaori pointed at the widescreen TV, her expression disbelieving. "That _is_ a papier-mache MRI machine!"

"Right?" Issei said in a vindicated tone, and Sona nodded firmly in agreement. The three of them sat on the large couch facing the TV, snacks and drinks sitting on the coffee table before them. Issei wore boxers and a T-shirt, while Sona wore skimpy sleep shorts and a camisole, and Kaori wore an "I?SF" T-shirt over her panties. The three of them were half-cuddled on the couch together, a comforter draped over them, watching a movie whose ineptitude beggared the imagination.

"This… this is deliberately bad, right?" Kaori asked hopefully. "Some kind of satire or parody?"

Sona shook her head. "The interviews we found with the director strongly suggest that he thinks he made a straightforward murder-mystery."

"Is he high? Or an idiot?"

"I'd believe both," Issei commented. He held Sona's left hand in his right, their fingers interlaced, and his left arm was draped around Kaori's shoulders. She was snuggled in comfortably underneath it. "It just keeps getting better. Watch."

Kaori nodded dubiously, reaching out and grabbing the bowl of popcorn. As they nibbled at the contents, she commented, "This is some of the worst acting I've ever seen. And I was in drama club in middle school."

"I remember that," Issei said. "I hate to say it, but that production of _Romeo and Juliet_ in second year was really, really bad."

"I wish I could argue that," she said glumly.

The three of them snuggled closer under the comforter as the movie progressed along its alleged plot.

* * *

"I suppose you're all wondering why I called you here today," Issei joked weakly. He sat on a padded bench on one of the Gremory estate's verandas, flanked by Sona and Kaori. Tsubasa, Reya, and Aika sat across from them on another bench. Between them sat a low table with six glasses and a large crystalline carafe of lemonade. Rias had arranged for it without even needing to be asked, prompting Issei to suspect that she and Sona had had a chat.

For obvious reasons, breakfast had been shelved in favor of a very late brunch. (It was just as well. About the time breakfast would have normally been served… well, neither Issei nor his fiancees would have been in any way presentable for the meal. Falling asleep at awkward angles on the couch tended to produce that effect.) Now, the early afternoon following the party, everyone was back to looking more or less like themselves. Not so dolled up, anymore, but the five of them still took Issei's breath away. The way they were now, the way they really were, that was what he had fallen for.

For what felt like an eternity, an awkward silence rang out in the late morning air. Then Tsubasa held out a hand. "Pay up, ladies." Reya and Aika rolled their eyes, but produced their purses from out of thin air.

"...what?" Issei asked in a flat tone.

"I'd bet them that you'd want to talk about this today, as early as possible," Tsubasa replied with a gentle smile. "After the last week, I figured you wouldn't want to waste time."

"I was half-expecting last night," Aika admitted. "The way you kept looking at us, Ikkun." Her ever-present smirk was gentler than usual. "I'm not sure our dresses would have survived any intense discussions."

"Hey, now," Issei started to protest, but Tsubasa held up a hand. Her smile was somewhere between Reya's gentle grin and Aika's smirk, and her cheeks were unusually pink. "Relax, Ise-chan. We know you'd never hurt anyone, given the choice. Especially not the girls you like."

Issei winced as she said the words. "Exactly how transparent _am_ I?" he finally asked, trying to keep resigned exasperation out of his voice. He wasn't successful.

"Glass," Aika said, her smirk softening. "But that's one of the things we like about you."

"Kaichou talked to Reya and I the day after you signed the Thursday night contract," Tsubasa explained. She idly twirled a cheese fork between her fingers.

"That was three months ago," Issei murmured, not sure how he felt about that.

"She figured that if anyone in her peerage was going to develop feelings for you, and vice versa, it'd be us." Tsubasa's smile was slightly sardonic, but he could see the affection behind it. He wondered if he'd just been afraid to admit he saw it before. "We know better than to bet against her."

"She talked to Kaori and I the Sunday after we joined up," Aika added. "Like Tsubasa-chan said, kaichou's good at figuring the odds." She raised an eyebrow as she gazed at Issei. "Maybe now you'll actually tell us what we smell like to you."

The Rook took a deep breath before speaking. The scents of the five young women before him seemed to start blending. Not a harmonious whole, not yet, but the potential for that hung in the air before him. He looked at Aika first. "Peppermint ice cream and cold milk, in the process of being mixed into a milkshake." His eyes shifted to Tsubasa next. "Freshly-picked strawberries in the summer sun." Finally, his eyes found Reya's, and he was surprised to see her smile seem a little tremulous. "Baked apples and cinnamon. The three of you… your scents are stronger than anyone besides Sona-chan and Kaori."

"Say it, Ise-chan," Tsubasa insisted gently. "You know what it means."

Issei forced his shoulders to relax. "I think… no, I _know_ … I like you three. Romantically, sexually… I won't say I love you yet, but I'm headed that direction." He was pushing out the words before his sense of self-preservation could stop him. "You know what Sona-chan said are the requirements for me having a harem. I want to apply them to you three, if you're interested. When we're all ready…" He managed a self-mocking laugh. "...and if you're not, please just pretend we never had this conversation…" He felt Sona squeeze his right hand, and Kaori did the same with his left after a moment.

"That's not a very romantic proposal, Ikkun," Reya replied in a mock-thoughtful tone. After a moment, her smile brightened. "I think you owe the three of us individual ones later on. Fancy dinner, walk in the park…"

Aika nodded, her smirk softening. "Don't forget making out under the moonlight. That's key."

Tsubasa made a face. "Keep that rom-com crap away from me. Out in nature, or on the beach, or something like that… now you're talking."

Issei wet his lips carefully, his heart pounding. "So, is that…?"

Aika rolled her eyes, and before anyone else could react, leaned across the table and kissed him firmly. She didn't taste like peppermint ice cream, not exactly, Issei mused. (Well, the part of him that could think clearly, anyway.) Her kiss tasted like _her_ , but somehow with undertones of that ice cream and milk. It was just like how Kaori's scent translated to her taste. He wanted more.

When she finally drew back, both of them were red-faced and breathing raggedly. She spoke first, her tone speculative. "I don't know if I'm ready to call you my fiance yet, though," Aika said speculatively. "Especially not until we figure out how to deal with this at school. I think I'd rather just be your girlfriend for awhile." She smiled slightly. "Just for awhile, though. Your endgame… I want that too."

"Ahem. My turn," Reya said brightly, standing and rounding the table herself. Once Aika had pulled back, she kissed Issei aggressively, half-straddling him for a brief, delicious moment. Once again, the baked apples and cinnamon were underlying her natural flavor, and he felt almost drunk. When their lips finally parted, she murmured against his mouth, "Yes. I feel the same way. But I'm like Aika… I don't want to skip right to fiancee. I'll be your girlfriend for now." She looked at Kaori and Sona, and Aika and Tsubasa. "All of yours, too." She grinned.

"When in the Underworld," Tsubasa said philosophically. She stood, rounding the table, and gently nudged Aika out of the way so she could kiss her fellow Rook. Like the other girls, her kiss had undertones of the flavor associated with her scent, rather than tasting exactly like it. When she broke this kiss, she looked more demure than he'd ever seen her. It was enchanting. "That's a yes, by the way," she murmured. "I'm fine with skipping right to fiancee."

"We've created a monster," Kaori stage-whispered to Sona. She sounded more amused than anything else, and Sona replied with a chuckle, indicating that she felt the same.

"We'd better work out a schedule, then," Kaori said, smiling. She turned Issei's head just enough so that she could kiss him as well.

"Yes. Once we get back to Kuoh, we should," Sona agreed. She took his right hand in both her hands, as if to subtly enforce her dominant position in the… _Oh, god. I really_ do _have a harem now,_ Issei thought. He still felt a little drunk.

Tsubasa looked thoughtful. "I kind of like that. We all know where we want this to go, after all. No need to push _too_ hard right now, is there? Not when we're on the same page." She chuckled. "Girlfriends _and_ fiancees, Ise-chan? You really _are_ a rapacious dragon, aren't you?" Her smile was teasing, with just a hint of lasciviousness.

"We need a bigger bench, though," Reya piped up. "Or to teach Ikkun some duplication magic."

"Why do you think I want to hurry him to middle-class?" Sona said wryly, and a soft, sweet laugh rippled around the veranda. _Now_ Issei felt their respective scents starting to integrate with each other, growing slowly but surely into a harmonious whole. At the same time, he still had that vague feeling that there were scents missing… not that he could imagine what they were.

That was something for another day, though. He couldn't imagine wanting more than what - than _who_ \- he was looking at right now.

* * *

"You can't be serious," Issei said an hour later. He stared exasperatedly at the massive projection screen.

"Yes, I am." Sirzechs seemed highly amused as he fiddled with the remote. He, Grayfia, and Serafall had asked Sona and Rias's peerages to meet them in the Gremory estate's theater. The room was cozier than a normal cinema would be, with angled rows of long, plush couches instead of the normal bucket seats. "You guys are famous right now."

He pointed at the screen, and Issei found himself watching the final fight against Riser. It was very strange to see himself on the huge screen, particularly when he went full-on dragon. Something seemed off, though, and he realized that there was music playing. He _definitely_ didn't remember music during the fight… wait. He groaned and facepalmed as he recognized the orchestral piece. He and Sona had watched that movie again recently...

Sona's eyebrows shot upward. She clearly recognized it too. "...I'll admit that the _Attack of the Clones_ soundtrack is a good choice…" she managed, her tone judicious.

"We need to get you a lightsaber, Ikkun," Reya said brightly.

"Right?" Serafall agreed. She looked highly amused. "Show them the others."

"There are more?" Kaori asked dubiously.

Serafall nodded enthusiastically. "Not only that, everyone who actually took down Riser has gotten a nickname. The Undernet doesn't waste time." She smiled wryly. "I'm not sure you understand just how many people Riser Phenex has rubbed the wrong way. Seeing him get tossed around like a rag doll made a lot of folks happy."

"Nicknames," Issei repeated, looking like he was about to cringe.

"Yep!" Serafall pointed at Akeno. "Akeno-chan, you're being called the Phoenix 'Blaster' because of all the Holy Lightning you threw at him." Her finger shifted to Saji. "Sakkun, you and Asia-chan are the 'Phoenix Breakers' because your Sacred Gear made it possible to actually hurt him, and her magic kept you shielded while you were doing that." That finger of hers now pointed at Kaori. "Kaori-chan is the 'Phoenix Cutter,' for obvious reasons." She finally turned towards Issei, and her mischievous smile was almost blinding. "And Icchan and Koneko-chan are the 'Phoenix Busters' because of how you two kicked his ass in close combat. Particularly you, Icchan, with that draconic beatdown you gave him!"

"That's… actually a lot better than I expected," Issei admitted.

"It's also marketable," Serafall pointed out. "I'll be sitting down with some people to discuss it next week. This is a good way to start building a nest egg for your peerage!"

"I guess I can't argue with that. Riser's really hated that much, huh?"

"His personality isn't such that endears itself to other people," Grayfia interjected mildly. "That footage of you forcing him to resign has already gained you some popularity."

Sirzechs pulled the next video up on DeviTube. This one was the final fight against Riser again, but it had been ridiculously sped up and set to a zany-sounding instrumental track. It sounded vaguely familiar, but Issei couldn't place it.

Grayfia wrinkled her nose. "Really? The _Benny Hill_ theme?"

"Hey, don't blame me, I didn't do it!" Sirzechs protested, holding up both hands. "All I did was find it!"

"You're lucky I know you can't video-edit worth a damn," Grayfia remarked dryly, taking a sip from her teacup.

"Oh, this one is my favorite!" Sirzechs clicked on the DeviTube clip. It was taken from a semi-obscure American action-comedy, about disavowed special-forces troops out for revenge. In the scene, the team hacker was holding finger guns on a security guard, threatening him with (apparent) telekinesis (which was actually his sniper comrade in a nearby building). Instead of the actual dialogue, Issei heard his own voice shouting "Resign _now,_ dammit, or I'll make a pincushion outta your nads!" (The Journey song from the original scene was still there, though, so that was nice…)

"Oh my god…" Issei groaned, facepalming. Sona patted his back, but her neutral demeanor was showing cracks, and amused approval was clearly present. The rest of her peerage was showing the same reaction, to varying degrees.

"I rather liked the one with the clip from _A Few Good Men_ ," Grayfia said thoughtfully. (Issei just groaned again.)

Tsubasa patted Issei on the shoulder. "See, Ise-chan? You're famous already."

"His family is gonna want my head on a _pike_ ," Issei mumbled.

"They can _want_ it all they like," Sona said flatly. "They won't _get_ it." Kaori nodded firmly, resting one hand on Yozoragiri's hilt.

"Ah, yes, funny thing," Sirzechs piped up. "The House of Phenex will actually _not_ be seeking retribution. Both Lady Phenex and Ravel-chan were insistent."

"What?"

"It's actually thanks to Asia-chan, and to what Issei-kun said about it," Sirzechs explained.

"All I did was mouth off about how I was protecting my sister, and how any big brother worth a damn would do the same thing," Issei said, his cheeks heating.

"I remember. I was there. And _that_ is exactly what _Ravel_ said when defending you," Sirzechs replied triumphantly. "And her mother agreed… and when Lady Phenex makes up her mind, Lord Phenex is smart enough not to fight against the tide. Riser's brothers aren't exactly _thrilled_ with the reasoning, but they're not really resisting it." He eyed the younger Devil appraisingly. "I think you made quite an impression on her."

"That's _got_ to be an exaggeration," Issei muttered. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, or the looks that his girlfriends exchanged. He still couldn't quite believe he had a harem now…

"Then there's the little matter of his intention to renege on the deal he made with So-tan," Serafall added. "That's been leaked, and I'm pretty sure it was Ravel-chan who leaked it. The House of Phenex is doing their best to make sure all the egg ends up on Riser's face. Which is where it belongs, really." Issei's future sister-in-law was just as pissed off about what Riser had _actually_ had planned for Issei as Sona was.

"I don't suppose I can sue the House of Phenex for damages, then…" Issei asked, jokingly.

Instead of chuckles, Sirzechs and Serafall - and, ominously, Sona - exchanged looks. Finally, Sona said thoughtfully, "It's possible something could be arranged."

Alarm bells went off in Issei's head. "Ah, never mind, it sounds like that could be a hassle," he said quickly.

"No, I think Ravel-chan might be easy to persuade," Serafall said, her tone matching Sona's.

"Okay, I don't think I like where this is going," Issei said, raising his voice slightly. "Let's just leave it for now."

"Actually, that brings me to the _actual_ reason for this conversation," Sirzechs said with a grin. "I owe all of you, for freeing my sister from that engagement. Especially the three of you who fought with her peerage in the match. I don't have any doubt that she would have been miserable." He sighed, his expression growing solemn. "I really should have taken a more proactive role in pulling her out."

Grayfia's expression softened fractionally, and she squeezed her husband's hand. "You were just as trapped in your role as Rias-sama was. If anyone was to blame… well, it wasn't you."

Rias nodded. "Like I told you, onii-sama, I never held you responsible."

"Be that as it may, I owe your friends," Sirzechs told her, his expression serious. "If it wouldn't set the Pillars aflame with outrage, I'd bump the three of you to middle-class right now."

"We understand, Sirzechs-sama," Kaori said politely, and Issei nodded in agreement. "I get why you can't," the Rook mused. "The Maou are limited in how much pull they can use in situations like this, particularly regarding their families."

"You're exactly right." Sirzechs nodded approvingly at Issei. "But there are things I can grant you, nonetheless. First, I'll arrange for your performances in the match to be counted as a passing grade for the combat portion of the middle-class testing. When the time comes for you to take the tests - and I have a feeling that it'll be sooner, rather than later - you'll have one-third of it already done."

Issei blinked, a surprised smile appearing on his face. He looked at Sona, and she nodded, also looking pleased. Apparently, this was as good as it sounded. "That's great!"

Sirzechs smiled again. "Second… Sona, what you asked for before? You have it now. And not just for Issei-kun." That smile of his turned almost impish. "This is probably pushing the limits of acceptable nepotism, but it's accepted that upper-class Devils act as patron to the peerages of their family and friends."

Sona brightened even more. "Thank you, Sirzechs-sama. That's quite gracious of you." Issei had to agree. This all but assured that he would make middle-class in the not-too-distant future. He wasn't as convinced about a rapid ascent to high-class, but Sona seemed to believe it, and she had the better judgment in this case.

He really _was_ on the fast track, now. And so was the rest of the peerage, which made it even better. To have his girls - _my girls,_ he thought giddily - on the same level with him…

Sirzechs nodded. "This is a case where all of us will benefit from the arrangement." He shook his head, his smile becoming slightly wistful. "I just wish we could solve the problem of Rias's future suitors as easily."

"That's easy." All eyes shifted to Serafall, and the Leviathan grinned impishly. "Tell everyone that Ria-tan's fallen for Icchan."

Issei's eyes bugged out, and he stared, slack-jawed at her. He could feel Kaori's surprise, and that of the rest of his peerage-mates. " _Sera-nee_!" he blurted out in protest. "That's insane! That'll _never_ …"

He trailed off as Sona and Rias's expressions sank in. Neither of them looked surprised, or particularly displeased, by the suggestion. "What are you two up to?" he asked slowly.

"We'd already reached that conclusion last night, Issei-kun," Sona told him, reaching for his left hand. "The best way to keep Rias's would-be husbands at bay is to let it slip that she's in love with someone already."

"Me?" he said flatly. "No one who knows us will buy that. Sempai's like a big sister to me."

"That's not necessarily a dealbreaker in Devil society," Rias commented wryly. "But I feel the same way about you." Her smile was slightly tart, matching her tone.

"And this is temporary, right?" Kaori asked warily. "You're not going to change your mind and actually fall for him?" Her tone clearly said "You had better not," and the sudden tension rising through his other lovers suggested that they shared the sentiment. She seemed to be settling into the idea of being one of his fiancees very easily, Issei thought.

"No, she won't," Sona answered firmly. "We discussed _that_ at length."

Rias shrugged. "I _trust_ Hyoudou-kun. But that kind of love? I don't feel any such spark, and I _know_ he doesn't." Her tart smile shifted to a smirk. "After all, I'm not his type."

"That is going to end up quoted on my grave," Issei muttered as a chuckle rippled around the room.

"The point is that doing this will keep those idiots at bay until I can find a fiance who I actually get along with," Rias continued. "Or find some other solution." She sobered slightly. "Hyoudou-kun, I know I've already asked a lot of you, and you've already delivered. But this would help a lot."

Issei's expression clearly said "I actually have a _choice_ in the matter?" After a moment, though, he let out a heavy sigh. "Sona-chan, there's no other way?"

"Short of shooting every other Pillar family male of our age group in the head, no," Sona said flatly. "And no, that's _not_ an option, I'm afraid," she sighed, as Issei opened his mouth to agree. "I promise, anata, this arrangement will end the moment there's a real solution. And Rias has agreed not to interfere in… in our family's affairs." She said the last part slowly, as if the knowledge that he - that _they_ , really - had a harem was only now sinking in. "This knowledge will be for Underworld circulation only. It should have no spillover into the school."

Issei glanced around at his other lovers, gauging their reactions. None of them seemed particularly thrilled about it. Kaori, especially, looked like she was considering telling Rias that she could solve her own damned problems. (Issei could relate.) But each of them seemed to accept the necessity, or were at least resigned to it. He squared his shoulders and nodded. "All right. Under the circumstances, I can accept this."

"It really is a pity that…" Sirzechs started to say.

"No. No, it isn't," Issei, Sona, and Rias said in unison.

* * *

Sona straightened Issei's shirt, buttoning it all the way up, and knotted the string tie neatly. It was really weird to actually wear the uniform neatly, but the way her eyes lit up as she looked at him made it worthwhile. (His uniform blazer was still around her shoulders, though, and she showed no sign of removing it.) She gave his shirt a last firm tug, and eyed him approvingly. "Almost perfect."

"What am I missing?" Issei asked curiously.

"You're dressed," Sona replied, the corners of her mouth turning upwards.

Issei burst out in pleased laughter. No one at school would believe that Shitori Souna was capable of even the most indirect bawdiness, but he knew better. "So are you," he replied with a grin of his own. "Let's fix that."

"Tonight," she promised. "I'm sure Kaori and the others would be less than thrilled if we were late."

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed. The thought of seeing Kaori again, and the others, wafted through his mind like a soothing, sweet-smelling breeze. (It brought with it the memory of waking up with Kaori curled up on his left side, half-naked and clutching him like a body pillow. She'd had to hurry and teleport home before her parents found out she wasn't there.)

"You two seem to be in a hurry," Rio noted cheerily as they came down the stairs. She offered them both handkerchief-wrapped packages. "A light breakfast for your walk."

"Thanks, kaa-san," Issei told her gratefully. He and Sona made their goodbyes, and left the house. Kaori waited outside the gate for them, brightening as she saw them. "Morning," she said brightly.

"Hi there," Issei said in return, his grin widening.

"Good morning, Kaori," Sona replied, looking serenely satisfied. "Katase-san isn't with you?"

"I told her I'd meet her at school. She's asking about how things went with the boy I said I liked." She bit her lip thoughtfully. "Explaining this will be interesting."

"You can blame everything on me, if you want," Issei offered as they walked. He unwrapped the small package Rio had given him, breaking off a chunk of toast, and offered it to Kaori.

Kaori shook her head. "It's nice of you to offer, but that would just make things worse. Sona-san, maybe we need to have another meeting with her?"

"Probably." Sona was doing likewise, although she nibbled rather than devouring at Issei's frantic pace. "Dinner someplace, then. Something that will help create a relaxed atmosphere." She smiled as a fourth person joined them. "Good morning, Tsubasa."

"Mornin'." Tsubasa sketched a mock-salute to her fiance and co-fiancees. "You look pensive, Kaori."

"Just trying to figure out how to sell my best friend on Ise," the Knight said. "She's finally convinced he's not gonna regress to Perverted Duo-levels, but this might set her back." Issei opened his mouth, and she shook her head firmly. "Nuh-uh. I don't regret this. You're stuck with me, Hyoudou Issei!"

"I don't think he ever doubted that," Sona noted, squeezing Issei's hand. He squeezed back.

"Well, I want to make sure he doesn't," Kaori replied. She squeezed his other hand.

"Now if only Ise-chan had a third hand," Tsubasa joked.

Kaori slid her hands up his arm. "There you go."

"That's much better." Tsubasa took hold of his now-free hand.

"Won't this make walking awkward?" Issei asked. Indeed, he was having to concentrate in order not to stumble… although that might have more to do with being pawed at by three beautiful girls

"So?" the three girls said in unison, their tones blithe. After a moment, the four of them burst out laughing.

"Looks like there's a story there," Aika commented. She and Reya fell into step with Issei and the others, and something inside him relaxed as their scents mingled. This felt - this _smelled_ \- like home.

Aloud, he said, "Basa-chan's complaining that I only have two arms. It's not like I'm a Hindu god or something."

"It's just as well," Sona noted. "It's not outside the realm of possibility that you'll meet some of the Deva."

"...it's weird to think about us moving in those kinds of circles," Kaori said softly. "Aika, Reya, I think parts of his shoulders are free."

"At this rate, you five will have to carry me," Issei joked.

"I'll wait till I can get him alone later," Reya replied with a smirk, then shook her head. "I don't like that we can't be open about this at school."

"It can't be helped." Aika didn't look particularly pleased about it either, and she _did_ wrap her arm around Issei's other bicep. "Ikkun's rep is only now starting to get better, and there are too many people still willing to think the worst of him. Not to mention those two idiots." She blew out an irritated breath. "We should enjoy this when we can."

"We still have the Council office, and the programming club, Aika-san," Issei reminded her in a reassuring tone.

"Don't 'san' me anymore," she said. Her cheeks were unusually pink, her tone more subdued than normal, and it was rather becoming. "...just Aika." A look passed between her and Kaori, and it was a rarity to see the good-natured smirk on Kaori's face while Aika wore a slightly-abashed look.

"Aika." Issei smiled at her, and she returned it.

"Welp, there's the gate." He looked up at Tsubasa's words, and indeed the Academy gate loomed ahead. It was surprisingly quiet, even deserted, for this time of morning.

Tsubasa let out an irritated breath of her own, and let go of his arm. Aika's lips compressed into a thin line, and after a moment, she did likewise. Kaori's hand lingered in Issei's until other students came into view, and she let go with a slightly-petulant sigh.

"As Issei-kun said, we still have the Council office, and outside school." Sona's tone was gentle and reassuring. "And my home. We have plenty of places to be… us." She managed to pack a world's worth of meaning into that single world, and Issei felt himself heartened by it. He could tell, from the body language of his other lovers, that they felt the same.

"Yeah," he agreed. He caught their eyes in turn, soaking in their faces. Sona wore a reassuring smile. Kaori did as well, but hers was subtler, more laced with wryness. Tsubasa's face wore a "Ready to take on the world" grin, as if she savored the idea of facing the challenges ahead. Aika smirked knowingly. Reya smiled slowly, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

For a moment, he inhaled, the combined scent of his loves relaxing and invigorating him. How could they fail at anything if they were together?

"Shall we?" he said, nodding at the gate.

Sona nodded. "Let's go."

"Lead the way, Ise," Kaori said, gesturing.

"Because Rooks are _supposed_ to tank," Aika added with a chuckle.

"I'll push you out first tomorrow," Tsubasa mock-threatened.

"Yes." Reya dimpled. "We're with you, Ikkun."

"You don't know how glad I am for that," Issei said sincerely.

The six of them stepped through the campus gate, their heads held high.

* * *

Notes:

Believe it or not, I started writing this chapter before _Chapter 2_ was done. I actually thought this meant I would have it ready quickly. Boy, was I wrong!

One of the biggest surprises in writing this was the roles in the harem that the characters came to occupy. (If you want to roughly map Issei's harem to the canon one, Sona is clearly equivalent to Rias, but it starts getting fuzzier from that point.) I had originally intended for Tsubasa to evolve into the Asia-equivalent… but during the writing, Kaori kind of pushed herself into that position.

I suppose there is room for argument about how quickly the harem jumped to actuality in this chapter, but I've done my best to present Issei and Kaori as having enough of a history so that things crystallized when given the right circumstances. As for the other girls, in the context of the story, Tsubasa and Reya have had most of a year to get to know Issei and come to like him, and I've tried to present there having been a latent attraction between Aika and Issei as well. (Also, there is the little thing about how crises can generate a "life's too short, I must act" response.)

The idea of how I wanted the Rating Game against Riser Phenex to go was something I came up with early on. Honestly, the idea for what Issei did with Riser's phone was what convinced me to make his Sacred Gear Unknown Dictator in the first place.

This constitutes the "season finale" for _DLC_. Chapter 7 will be both very familiar and somewhat strange…

The movie Issei and Sona are watching is _After Last Season_ , and its reputation is well-deserved (if you can find it, I recommend watching it with Spoony's Rifftrax commentary… it helps. It doesn't make it _better_ , but it helps…) At some point, I want to do an expanded, full-lemon Issei x Sona x Kaori scene, and that will probably be folded into a large lemon-specific interlude. The other movie obliquely described is _The Losers_ , which is an honestly underrated film (although the sniping-disguised-as-telekinesis scene really is its high point).

The chapter title is taken from, naturally, Loverboy's "Working For The Weekend," which is also the song featured at the beginning of the Rating Game. As stated elsewhere, Serafall's Queen and Bishop are based (respectively) on Onoya An and Yoake Ryo from _ReLIFE_.

Next Chapter: Chapter 7: Either It'll Move Me, Or It'll Move Right Through Me

" _Would you like to know a secret?"_


	10. Interlude: The Grand Facade

_Digital x Dragon: DLC (Devil Lovers Chronicle)_

A _High School DxD_ fanfiction by Yukikaze101

 _High School DxD_ is the property of Ishibumi Ichiei and Fujimi Shobo. (If I owned it, the anime adaptation would have hijacked "Database" and "Slide Ride" as its OP themes.)

In addition, this fanfiction borrows elements from _Arifureta_ (property of Shirakome Ryo, J-Novel Club, Seven Seas Entertainment, White Fox, and Asread), _Recovery of an MMO Junkie_ (property of Kokuyō Rin, Comico, and ), and _Great Teacher Onizuka_ (property of Fujisawa Tohru, _Weekly Shonen Magazine_ , Animax, and Fuji Television).

Note: This is the continuation of _Digital x Dragon: Final Patch_. That story is, in turn, the authorized conclusion of KurobaraIto's original _Digital x Dragon_ , but it's best to consider this an alternate universe that forks off from that story's last published chapter. (Just in case KurobaraIto decides to pick it up again someday.)

Fluff/silliness warning. Author's musical tastes warning.

* * *

Some long-delayed replies to reviews:

Scorez: I don't really agree (if anything, I feel like in my mind, Sona's place at the heart of Issei's life is just getting solidified), but it's entirely possible you're seeing something I'm not. All I can do is apologize and try to be more persuasive in future chapters.

Mauricio11: While I can see your point, there is no unified Dragon "faction" in this setting (nor, from what I've seen, is there one in canon), and the existing dragons either tend to their own knitting or have already allied themselves to existing factions (such as Gorou and his allegiance to the Kyoto and Shinto Factions, and Alivan and Tannin to Devilkind). In the latter case, they would probably be constrained by Devil laws and traditions to keep from outright killing Riser (although challenging him to a retaliatory Rating Game would probably not being out of the question), and in the former, Ravel already pointed out the risks of pissing off Kyoto (and, by association, Gorou).

Crimson Dragon VIRUS: The bit with Riser's phone was written way back in November, and was the deciding factor in what Issei's Sacred Gear would be. If not for that, it probably would have been Star Buster Star Blaster. Not that there aren't ideas for later… *ominous music*

Ryani: There will be an updated harem list at the end of this chapter.

* * *

 _ **INTERLUDE: The Grand Facade Soon Will Burn**_

* * *

 **Part 1: A Hostage To All My Hopes And Fears**

It had been a very long day for Hyoudou Gorou. It had started… well, it had started the day before today, without them even going to bed before Issei's Rating Game. Then the match had happened, as intense and brutal as it was relatively brief. Then had come the aftermath and cleanup, making sure he and his budding harem were all right, and then the celebration.

That last part had ended just now, Gorou mused to himself as he got ready for bed. They were taking advantage of old friends' hospitality. Under other circumstances, it might not have been one of their hosts' guest suites they were staying in… but there would be other times for that.

All the quiet tension and fear for Issei had bled away, and the pride in him had relaxed. He had just enough energy to crawl under the covers

Stifling a yawn, he stepped out of the en-suite bathroom. "Rio? Ready for…?" He trailed off as he took a good look at his wife.

Rio stood by the dresser, her expression pensive. In her hands was an old photograph, somewhat faded with frayed edges. He knew it immediately.

"I didn't know you brought that with you," he said softly.

"It seemed like a good idea," Rio said, her own voice equally hushed. "In case things had gone wrong."

"You hadn't really thought things would go wrong," he said carefully. He hadn't either… not anywhere where his conscious self could catch him, anyway. That hadn't kept his heart out of his throat, or him and Rio clutching each others' hands hard enough to leave bruises.

"No," Rio agreed. "I expected things to go pretty much as they did. But that didn't stop me from worrying." She leaned back against him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, his eyes looking down at the photo.

The picture was… eight, maybe nine years old, he reflected. Right before - and even now, his mind skittered away from _that_. Some wounds never really closed…

Daria sat on the couch, a serene smile on her face. As always, she was the social center-of-gravity. It was always something she seemed unaware of, or to try and avoid acknowledging, as if admitting its existence was the height of arrogance. He and Rio stood behind her, arms around each others' waists. Dulio sat next to her, looking awkward in civvies but smiling anyway. Kuroka was on her other side, her usual hauteur replaced with a surprisingly gentle smile and one hand resting on Issei's head. Penemue was absent from the photo - predictable, as she had been the one behind the Nikon's viewfinder; this had been taken during one of her intermittent shutterbug phases. Finally, Issei sat in Daria's lap, grinning broadly.

Gorou wasn't sure when the last time had been that their son had worn that uncomplicated smile. At least, the last time in the last eight years, before Issei and Sona Sitri had met. Had it really been that long since Daria's passing? Had Sona and the circle of girls coalescing around Issei really only been there a year, or less? All he _did_ know was that for far too long, his son's smiles had been shadowed, or manic, with no real middle ground, and that didn't even count his year-long hikikomori phase.

"We need to talk to him, Gorou-kun," Rio said softly.

He gave her a sideways look. "This was your idea, Rio…" Not that he'd argued at the time. Well, argued about _that_ , anyway. Back then, everything else was fair game for yelling about.

"I know." Rio's voice was small. "I didn't see any other choice at the time, but now, with Issei a part of the supernatural world, the way things are going…"

"He's not going to be happy," Gorou pointed out. In fact, he was more than a little worried about how Issei would react. And not just because of the force of destruction a young, angry dragon could be.

"No, he won't be." Rio nestled deeper into his embrace, and something about her felt unusually fragile. She let out a shuddering sigh. "But he deserves to know, however angry he gets at us. We need to tell him soon, Gorou-kun."

"Yeah." Gorou let out a sigh of his own. She was right. They couldn't keep hiding it. When he was able to make himself think about it, they never should have in the first place. But… not tonight. Even now, it was still an open sore that he shied away from, and he knew that Rio felt the same.

He gently took the photo from Rio's hand, setting it on the dresser. "Not tonight, though."

She smiled wanly, her eyes dark with mingled memories and emotions. "No. Not tonight."

* * *

 **Part 2: If You're Partial to the Night Sky**

"All right, everyone ready?" Issei called out, shifting around. So far, having five girls on his back didn't feel much heavier than having two, but he had yet to do more than hover slightly above ground.

"Just a moment." Sona concentrated, and he felt the air warm slightly on his back, around where she and the rest of his lovers were perched. "There. That should last about an hour before I'll need to refresh it. Reya, Aika, I'd like your help with that. Managing climate-control spells is good training for intermediate magic."

"Sure," Aika said easily. "As long as Ikkun doesn't try any barrel rolls and send us flying." She patted his flank.

"I'll start reinforcing it now, kai… Sona-san," Reya piped up. Her ability to roll with the changes in their collective interpersonal dynamic was admirable, but the habit of referring to Sona with relative formality died hard.

"I don't get why you guys are afraid of a little breeze," Tsubasa remarked… well, breezily.

"We're going flying at dusk, Tsubasa," Kaori said, rolling her eyes. "Above the clouds. You don't think that'll get chilly?"

"It's just an excuse to lean down and snuggle closer to Ise-chan," Tsubasa replied, a good-natured smirk on her face as Kaori's face pinked slightly. For all that she was technically the second-senior member of the harem, the Knight was still easily set a-blush about physical intimacy.

"...maybe you have a point," she said after a moment.

Aika opened her mouth to comment, paused, and then just shrugged.

Reya gave her a surprised look. "Really? Nothing?"

"Not beyond an obvious 'riding the dragon' joke, no," the meganekko admitted. "We'll save that for after the flight," she added in a joking-but-not-joking tone.

"Promises, promises," Issei said, laughing and trying to turn his mind towards the mechanics of flight. Now was a bad time to be thinking sexy thoughts. "Ready when you guys are. I'm gonna go up slowly this time, and brace yourselves when we hit the clouds."

"We're ready, anata," Sona told him. "Take us up." A chorus of agreement arose from the others, and Issei took a deep breath and took off. Those sounds of agreement were replaced with ones of delight as they rose higher and higher into the air.

He'd been right. The weight difference was… noticeable, but far from unmanageable. He was still going to take it easy with the ascent, though.

A surge of dismay and protectiveness swept through him at the thought of his girls coming to harm, and he set his jaw in determination. He'd be damned if he was going to let anything happen to them.

He shook the thought off as they approached the clouds and accelerated to what his instincts told him was the maximum "safe" speed. "Hold on!" he called out as they entered the clouds.

"Somehow, I expected them to be fluffier," he heard Aika remark in surprise.

"We didn't get a good look at them last time," Kaori said in reply. "We were moving too fast, and it was later at night."

"Oh," Aika said, but before she could say anything else, Issei was breaking through the cloud cover.

Surrounding them was a vast sky streaked with blues, pinks, and oranges. Those colors painted the clouds as the setting sun ponderously merged with the horizon.

Sona sucked in a breath, and Issei somehow knew how the sight was moving her. He felt rather the same, and the way the others were shifting around, the intensity of their scents, told him they were moved as well. He could even visualize their faces right now: Sona wearing a rare open smile, Kaori beaming, Tsubasa's eyes wide and her mouth open in awe, Aika's face gobsmacked and free of her trademark good-natured sardony, Reya's small and content grin.

The night sky had been majestic, with its white stars and silver-blue moon, but there was something soothing and welcoming about sunset above the clouds. The company only made it better.

The six of them floated there, above Kuoh, watching in companionable silence as the sun dipped ever lower below the horizon.

* * *

 **Part 3: A Loaded God Complex (Cock it and Pull it)**

Amanogawa Kouki just didn't get it.

"Kouki-kun." Shizuku gave him an odd look. "Why don't you come to karaoke with us?" She gestured to the handful of other students. Two of them were recent transfers from Kyoto, of all places, and were apparently old friends of Shizuku's. They were friendly enough, but something about them seemed strange. Not bad, necessarily, but strange. And they always seemed to be watching him. (It must have been a trick of the light, but one of them seemed to have almost feline features once…)

He wondered if he would have noticed that before.

"Thanks, but no," he said. "Next time. I need to go home."

"If you're sure," Shizuku said, giving him a mildly-concerned look. She'd been casting a lot of those his way lately, ever since that Saturday.

He waved at her, nodded to the others, and walked away. The trip home was one he could make in his sleep, and right now that was just as well. He had a lot to turn over in his mind.

It had been one entire month. Thirty days since that strange, violent… priest? He was sure Asia had said that's what he was. Anyway, since that strange, violent priest had kidnapped Asia and him, and the Student Council - including Hyoudou, much to Kouki's shock - had rescued them. And since that day, Kouki had been trying to mentor him, trying to show him the proper way of doing things.

It was a frustrating task, to say the least.

Oh, he could admit it now, at least. He'd been wrong about Hyoudou Issei, or at least the other boy had been positively influenced by Sona. He did seem to mean well, and he was willing to risk himself to help others. It was more admirable than he'd ever expected from a member of the Perverted Trio. But that made it all the more important that he _listen_ to Kouki, follow his example.

Amanogawa Kouki was a firm believer that good intentions without proper direction were almost worse than bad ones. In fact, the idea that good intentions could exist _without_ proper direction was still new - and uncomfortable - to him. Hyoudou needed to do the right thing in the right _way_ , have it acknowledged by the right _people_. It wasn't merely doing good he needed to strive for, but _respectability_. Otherwise, he was little better than a vigilante. It was bad enough that Hyoudou didn't grasp that, but Sona and Asia seemed to actually support him in his way of thinking.

And so did Shizuku.

Kouki couldn't understand.

" **What's to understand?"** a voice in his head said. " **You're overthinking things. Hasn't your friend ever told you that?"**

"No, she hasn't," Kouki said, only slightly surprised. His surprise was less at the voice in his head, and more at the question he'd been asked. In some distant, abstract way, he supposed the fact that he was holding a conversation with someone he couldn't see might be… concerning. (So would the fact that he and the voice had been conversing since the night following the incident.) Somehow, though, it wasn't. He felt, even if he couldn't explain why, that whatever the voice's source was meant him no harm. "She's never said anything like that."

" **Hmph. I'm not surprised,"** the voice said. The retort was hardly complimentary, though it wasn't derisive, either. More like a friend trying to point out where you'd screwed up on your homework. Not that that took much of the sting out of it.

"It's frustrating," he insisted. "He won't even listen to me. He thinks he's doing enough good as is, but the idea of respectability, of justice - it's like he can't even see the value in them. And no one else seems to see the problem with it…"

"' **Justice.'"** The voice snorted. " **Justice is a worthy thing to aspire to, I'll grant you. It's not a magic word, though."** There was a thoughtful pause, and then the voice added, " **And don't make the mistake of assuming that another's idea of justice is the same as yours."**

That had to be the most confusing statement the voice had made yet. Justice was… justice. And Kouki had never once considered that anyone else might see it differently than him. The thought was new, and uncomfortable, and one he wanted to shy away from. He'd been running into that a _lot_ lately.

" **Yelling about justice at the top of your lungs won't make your enemies suddenly surrender,"** the voice continued. " **You need more than that."**

"More? Like what?" Some part of Kouki's mind noted how sinister that sounded. The rest of him didn't seem to care much.

" **Power."** The voice said the single word almost reverently. " **When you have power, justice is something you can make real. Might makes right, after all."** There was a darkly-amused snort, and then the voice added, " **Might makes for respectability, too."**

Kouki wanted to protest that. He couldn't find a way to, though. The voice's logic was hard to resist… or maybe he just didn't _want_ to resist it. (Not that he would ever admit that, even to himself.)

" **You have justice you want to enforce? You have people you want to protect? You want to demonstrate that you're right and he's wrong? Then you need power. And I can give you that, show you how to access and refine it."**

"Why?" Kouki had the presence of mind to ask that much, at least.

" **Because you're my host. When you benefit, I benefit. And, sooner or later, my rival will find us. The best way for you to survive is to learn to wield my power."**

That was an answer that generated a hundred more questions. But there was one that stood above the others in Kouki's head. "And who _are_ you, anyway?"

" **I was wondering when you were going to ask me that."** The voice sounded amused. " **You can call me 'Ddraig.'"**

* * *

 **Part 4: Put On Your War Paint**

The Marquis and Marquise of Phenex had a small but well-appointed villa on the northern border of their territory. When their children had been younger, it had been a favorite vacation spot for them. These days, though, it was virtually deserted, save for a small caretaker staff.

That, Riser thought - when he could spare the mental bandwidth from sulking or brooding - made it perfect for his exile. Once again, his gaze swept across the intricately-crafted wooden case, and the full set of Evil Pieces within.

Less than two months with a full peerage, and here he was, back at square one. He was without even a Queen. No King worthy of the title lacked a Queen - and even as he had the thought, his mind veered violently away from it.

He knew exactly who was at fault, of course. Ravel, their parents, their brothers, all of them believed he'd brought the repercussions down upon himself. Or so they said, anyway. But he knew the truth.

Small minds always feared and resented their superiors.

-xxxx-

Riser had been ten when he realized he wouldn't become Lord Phenex. For someone who had always been deemed a genius, it was an insult - even if he was the only one that saw it as such - that he could never get past.

He still couldn't understand _why_ Ruval got to be the Marquis. Just because he was the oldest… what did that matter? And all the time he had put into schooling and training… why would he waste all that time? Who needed that? The same had gone for Riyal, who had actually went to the effort of attaining several human college doctorates. Riser couldn't fathom why someone would put effort into that.

For that matter, he couldn't wrap his head around his family's weird obsession with being… productive. Mother and her government work, Father and his medical research, Ruval's political training, Riyal's interest in academics and broadcast media… Even Ravel was strangely fixated on business. It was unseemly. Wasn't the House of Phenex part of the 72 Pillars, after all? They were the masters of the world, even if everyone else was too stupid to realize it. Getting your hands dirty was for their lessers.

To be fair, he had worked hard on recruiting and training his peerage. That, after all, was customary for someone of his rank. And it was certainly as much for his benefit as for the House's. But actual _toil_? Worse, mind-numbing _bookkeeping_?

Ruval had laughed when Riser had told him that he should give the lordship to him. He'd laughed even louder when Riser's response to being asked why had been "because I'm me." Riyal had laughed with him. Their parents hadn't laughed, nor had Ravel, but they had looked embarrassed, and their father had sat him down and explained at length why Ruval inherited the position.

(Riser hadn't really paid attention to the explanation, beyond it involving Ruval being the eldest child. It hadn't really mattered. He knew what his father was really saying: they were too threatened by his genius to grant him his due. He understood that, but he'd never forgive it.)

-xxxx-

It had all gone wrong because of Sona Sitri - _that bitch!_ his mind raged. _Frigid shrew of a reincarnate-fucking_ whore _!_ (A mixed metaphor, to be sure, but it was unlikely Riser would have noticed, even were he in a clearer headspace.) Her, and her reincarnate fucktoy. The nerve of him, believing his desires were actually worthy of consideration - and everyone present _agreed with him_. Even Ravel.

Riser vaguely remembered her mentioning that they'd encountered each other in Kyoto, somehow. Hyoudou must have used some kind of Japanese magic to inveigle everyone present, something only he had been strong enough to resist. That was the only explanation. The idea that he might have been _right_ was absolutely ludicrous.

His mind still shied away from the last minutes of the Rating Game. Truth be told, he didn't want to think about it at all. How his servants had proven so useless, so quickly - for a moment, a flash of memory, of the agony resulting from Sona's other servant crippling his natural talents and Hyoudou's dragon form landing on him, over and over. Of the burning humiliation from Hyoudou forcing him to surrender.

It should not have happened. Father had said that he had underestimated Rias and her servants, and there might have been some small truth there. (Admitting even _that_ much was almost physically painful for Riser.) But he knew where the real fault belonged: his peerage, who showed their true worthlessness in the face of Rias's modest skill.

And then, when he showed them the error of their ways, the final insult began.

He didn't understand why it had gotten worse when he'd punished Yubelluna. That _should_ have cowed the other girls. That _should_ have made them behave, made them _competent_. (What had confused him even more was her repeated pleas that she loved him. Of _course_ she did; a servant was _supposed_ to. But only a foolish servant expected that love to be reciprocated. It was true that many Kings treated their Queens with special respect and affection… but Riser Phenex was not "many Kings.")

Instead, they had gone running to Ravel - that traitorous _bitch_! He _knew_ he should have brought her to heel, just like he had with each of his servants, sister or no. In fact, that made it even worse: as his sister, she should have supported _him_ , instead of some abstract idea of what was "good for the family." He was the House of Phenex's _true_ heir, so what benefited him benefited all. She should have understood that, even if she had whined to Mother to trade.

But no. Again, she had gone and whined to Mother, and Mother had come to talk to him, this time with Father and Ruval in tow… not that she'd actually needed them. Her maiden name, after all, was Belial, and in her youth she had rejoiced in the nickname "Queen of Absolute Negation." She had hamstrung his pyrokinesis with a look, and physically placed the case with her unused Evil Pieces in his hands, as if he were a stumbling infant. (He felt an ugly shudder of lust as the thought of exacting proper vengeance upon her flashed through his mind.)

The ensuing trade might have been voluntary on paper, but he had hated every moment of it. Hated the relief on the girls' faces, as if they had any right to feel anything besides what he told them to.

And so, he had a full set of Evil Pieces again. Not that it mattered. His harem was gone. Even Yubelluna, even though he'd punished her so soundly that it would take weeks for even magical healing to make the injuries right. He still raged at the looks of reproach on his parents' and Ruval's faces. As if they had any right to judge _him_. As if he weren't merely letting Ruval have the family heirship until he felt like assuming it, whatever his brother might think.

No. He knew what he was due. A new peerage was only the tip of the iceberg. Where to start, though, that was the question…

-xxxx-

The villa's majordomo cleared his throat. Lars was a Devil of apparent middle age, dignified-looking with close-cropped amber hair. His service, and that of his staff, had been impeccable since Riser had arrived, and their manners flawless. Even if they had divergent thoughts about his self-exile, they kept them to themselves. After the weight of his family's disapproval, that silence was a modest relief. "Riser-sama?"

Riser turned a glare upon him, but couldn't muster much force behind it. "What?"

"You have visitors, Riser-sama. Diadora-sama of the House of Astaroth, and his peerage."

Riser sat up slowly, his glare relaxing after a long moment. "Fine. Show them in."

As Lars escorted his foppish-looking visitor in, Riser's eyes narrowed in thought.

It had taken him a long time to understand what he truly desired. The full realization hadn't come until three years before. That was just after he'd recruited Yubelluna and Xuelan, and was looking for more servants. Even then, he was aiming for the Rating Games, and training his new servants accordingly.

It had been a chance encounter at a party thrown by the House of Naberius, a faux-affable conversation with someone he'd never deigned to notice before. But the things the young man had said, in that off-handed fashion so favored by certain Pillar families, had struck some kind of chord within Riser. He had been unsurprised when they had another chance conversation at another party, and then another. By the time the inevitable offer came, Riser was almost anticipating it, and was already prepared to accept.

For all their flaws, his visitor's friends understood what drove Riser Phenex. His choice really had been inevitable.

"That'll be all, Lars," Riser said. After a moment, he added in a begrudging tone, "If our guest's peerage accompanied him, see that they're fed."

"Very generous of you," Diadora drawled. "But it's not necessary." He smirked slightly. "After all, a little mortification is good for the soul."

Riser shrugged, giving Lars a gesture of dismissal. As the door to his sitting room was closed, he gave Diadora a sharp look. "You're _late_. I expected you a week ago."

"I had reason to delay," Diadora replied, an amused half-smile on his face. "Did you realize this villa is under surveillance?"

Riser's eyes widened. His family had gone that far - ?! "No," he hissed. "Not until now."

"They're very good at keeping it subtle," Diadora said thoughtfully. "But we were able to catch a glimpse. We saw at least one member of the faux-Leviathan's peerage. Naturally, we left them alone. No need to rile Serafall up just yet." He reached into his robes, setting an intricately-crafted silver plaque on the table. "As long as I have this, I can disrupt their scrying just enough so that they'll hear what I want them to hear. The same will go for your staff. So, right now we're discussing Sairaorg's latest Rating Game."

"Clever of you," Riser grated out. Some detached part of his mind meant it, too. But that part wasn't the one holding his mental reins right now. "You left me hanging, Diadora." He felt his voice starting to rise, and paused until he was sure he had it under control. "You and your friends were supposed to make sure I beat Rias." His eyes sharpened. "As a matter of fact, they were supposed to _bring_ Rias to me, suitably rendered docile, too."

" _Your_ friends too, Riser. Don't forget that." The faint smile on Diadora's face had frozen, taking on a hint of cold cruelty, and his voice matched. "You do realize that you've already committed treason. You crossed that line the first time you diverted a shipment of Phoenix Tears to us."

Diadora waited until Riser's belligerence abated before continuing. (It took several minutes.) "As for the original plan for Rias, I'll admit we dropped the ball on that. We underestimated how quickly and effectively the youkai would respond to an invasion. And we never planned for Hyoudou Issei's abilities, or for the presence of the Hakuryuukou." His expression relaxed, but his tone was rife with schadenfreude. "Or your sister, for that matter."

Riser's scowl deepened, but he didn't object.

"As for the help against Rias, we _did_ give it to you. We passed your little sister everything we had on the pieces Sona loaned Rias. We did everything but hand you video footage of Hyoudou and Sona's sex life." Diadora's voice was dust-dry, and his expression faintly mocking. "The only way you could have fought with such ignorance of their capabilities is if you'd outright ignored Ravel-chan. But you wouldn't do that, of course…"

Riser frowned. He thought he remembered Ravel trying to discuss something with him… no, no, it couldn't have been that. He would have listened if she'd had anything truly important to tell him. No, he'd been right all along; Hyoudou must have used some strange youkai magic to influence her. He told Diadora as much.

The Astaroth heir shrugged. "It's possible," he said in a tone that left "but unlikely" hanging, unsaid but clearly heard, in the air. "There are a couple of other things you might be interested in." He pulled another item out of his robes, a thick envelope with photos poking out of it. "Apparently, Hyoudou Issei has been sighted out and about with dear little Rias, both alone and with Sona along for the ride."

Riser glowered at the photos. Indeed, there was that damned reincarnate with Rias on his arm at several prestigious restaurants in Lucifer, both of them dressed to kill and looking pleased to be in each other's company. There were more photos with Sona joining them than without, but the fact that any of these pictures existed at all was like glass scraped down a chalkboard to his psyche. He crumpled them in his fist, his phoenix-fire turning them to ash.

"I don't buy it, personally," Diadora said offhandedly. That note of enjoying Riser's discomfiture had returned. "We have a couple of reliable agents in Kuoh. They say that the two treat each other more like siblings than anything else. There's even a report of him publicly saying that she's 'not his type.'" Riser gave him a disbelieving look, and he shrugged. "Yes, that seemed hard to believe for me, too But the celebrity watchers are eating it up. The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess and the Phoenix Buster, finding love together with Sitri's Cool-Eyed Mistral Princess. Happy ending all around, wouldn't you say?" His smirk widened. "And fake relationships becoming real ones is a classic story, you know."

"I want him dead," Riser growled. Even _he_ realized how petulant it sounded, and Diadora's expression showed that he hadn't missed that.

"You're not the only one," Diadora replied, his voice vaguely resembling a soothing tone. "As a courtesy, I sent them a little package. Nothing they couldn't cope with, but it should make them paranoid. You'll be the first one they look at, of course, but it'll be clear that you had nothing to do with it."

Riser eyed him for a moment, and then nodded grudgingly. After a moment, he said "Thank you" in an equally grudging tone.

"That's not what I'm here to discuss, though." All foppery fell away from the Duke-designate of Astaroth's expression and voice, and when he spoke, it was with deadly seriousness. "I'm here to discuss the next phase of operations, and your part in them."

Riser's scowl disappeared, and he sat up straight. "Oh?"

"Yes." Diadora's eyes held his, and there was a dangerous glitter in them. "And I think you'll be happy to know that they include a page or two for Sona Sitri's peerage. There are some things that not even a dragon is immune to, after all."

Riser looked up at Diadora. Some part of him was actually excited by this, actually fired up by something other than the indulgence of his vices. In a way, he felt like he was fully awake for the first time in weeks. "Tell me more," he said.

"In a minute," Diadora said with a smirk. "First, I have someone you should meet." He motioned to the door, and a figure in a long cloak and hood entered. Despite the drape of the cloth, the figure underneath was clearly female.

Riser raised both eyebrows. "And who is this?"

"Someone else who has a bone to pick with dragons," Diadora replied. "Go ahead, Raynare."

Riser's mouth fell open. There had been enough stories about Hyoudou's reincarnation and the circumstances surrounding it that even _he_ had heard the name "Raynare."

Before he could say anything else, the woman in question threw back her hood. Riser felt his tongue stilled momentarily by her beauty. The haughtiness in her demeanor only enhanced it.

"So you want Hyoudou Issei dead, too," she said, and her tone struck a chord within Riser. Her lips curled upwards in something somewhere between a smile and a sneer.

"Yes, I do," he answered.

"Then I think we can work together," Raynare said, her expression moving fractionally closer to a smile.

After a long moment, Riser felt himself returning the sneer/smile. There was something about her, a strange kind of spark. For perhaps the first time in his life, he was looking at a kindred spirit. Even the realization that she saw him only as an ally of convenience did nothing to dilute that realization.

Diadora chuckled. "I knew you two would get along."

"You might be right." Riser set down his wine glass, looking speculatively at Raynare for a long moment before shifting his eyes back to the open case of Evil Pieces.

Specifically, the Queen piece.

No King worthy of the name was ever without a Queen, after all.

"Tell me, Raynare," he said thoughtfully. "How much do you know about Evil Pieces?"

* * *

 **Part 5: All of These Lines Are Being Crossed Over the Atmosphere**

The sprawling complex that comprised Grigori headquarters had changed several times over the centuries. The last time had been in the early 1930s, when Azazel had become enamored of Art Deco. Even after nearly nine decades, the Governor-General had shown no sign of changing his stylistic mind again.

And thus it was that, in his spacious apartments near the top of the central spire, that the leader of the Fallen Angels lounged, surrounded by the people he trusted most.

This was, by no means, an official meeting of the Cadre Council. Some of the people present weren't even Fallen Angels, and were thus ineligible to serve on the Council. On paper, in fact several of the people attending were elsewhere. Two of them actually _were_ elsewhere, using magic to remotely attend in real-time. The anti-eavesdropping wards he'd lined the walls with long ago had been reinforced, and then reinforced again. But no one present uttered a word about paranoia.

"There's no question about it, then?" he asked.

The man he aimed the question at cleared his throat, straightening up. He was handsome, sporting silver hair in a severe bowl cut, and wore a purple beret over a slate-grey tunic and matching trousers. "If you want to get technical about it, there's always room for error. But in this case, the likelihood is so low that it's scarcely worth discussing." He shook his head. "For our purposes… no, there's no question."

"Shemhazai is absolutely correct." This came from a beautiful woman with long indigo hair tied into a thick braid. Even her voluminous robes did little to obscure her curvaceous figure. "Kokabiel has made no secret of his dissatisfaction with the current detente. And the actions of both Raynare and Sellzen required quiet support from the highest offices. That means Cadre. And we know what that means." Few knew better than Penemue, after all. As Chief Secretary of the Cadre Council, she was also Grigori's de facto foreign secretary, with command over its intelligence-gathering operations.

"Yeah. Yeah, we do," Azazel agreed, his expression sour.

"So what do we do about it?" This came from the beautiful silver-haired girl dressed like a dockworker, lounging indolently in the expensive recliner. Normally, a girl like that would get Azazel's mind racing with the kinds of thoughts that had made him Fall, but Vali had always been immune from those. It was a side effect of being her de facto foster father. "I have a few ideas. Most of them involve my Balance Breaker and a lot of explosions, though."

"Keep those in your back pocket." Azazel reached into his jacket, pulling out a handful of photos, and tossed them on the coffee table. "This happened eight hours ago. As far as I'm aware, no one else in Grigori is aware of it yet."

Those present leaned down to examine them, and grimaced at what they saw.

Ikuse Tobio was the first to speak. "And Raynare was the only one taken?" One hand held Lavinia Reni's left hand. The other drummed idly in a random pattern on his knee. It was rare for the "Slash Dog" to display even that much trepidation.

Azazel nodded. "Everyone else held in that section of Cocytus was killed outright." He shook his head. "Several other people in less secure detainment died or disappeared around the same time. Dohnaseek was one of the former. Being moved to comfortable quarters was evidence that he'd talked, regardless of what he'd actually said. Mittelt was one of the latter."

"That accounts for Raynare's team," Lavinia mused softly. "What's left of it, since Kalawarner was killed. I wonder _why_ , though."

Azazel took a long drink from the highball glass sitting on the coffee table. "Wish I knew. I can't see what Kokabiel would gain from the jailbreak, but either way, it's not reassuring."

Vali snorted. "They're a distraction. He wants us to waste time and effort on chasing them."

"Even if that's the case, we can't ignore them," the man on Azazel's left opined. He was solidly built and sported a goatee, and his grey suit was cut in a quasi-militaristic style. "The two of them are quite able and willing to sow chaos, and it was hard enough keeping them on a leash when they _weren't_ disaffected. Raynare is exactly the kind of person to decimate a city out of spite or whim, and Mittelt damned sure won't _stop_ her."

"Baraqiel makes a good point," Azazel noted, nodding in agreement with the Cadre Council's Marshal of the Fallen Host. "And we should keep an eye out for them. But I agree that they're unlikely to be the main threat." He shifted his gaze to Penemue. "Have you been able to confirm those rumors about Kokabiel having contact with the Old Satan Faction?"

Penemue shook her head. "Those sources went silent immediately after passing on the rumors. They're most likely dead, and I'm still setting up alternate networks." Her lips thinned. "But I'm certain they're accurate."

"Makes it even more important to shore up our own defenses," Baraqiel rumbled softly.

"We may have to take a page from Kokabiel's book, then. If he's making friends with the OSF…" Shemhazai trailed off meaningfully. Azazel's chief deputy looked less than enthused about what he was proposing, but he was too intellectually honest to _not_ put the idea forward.

"'The enemy of my enemy is my friend?'" Baraqiel looked even more skeptical than Shemhazai. "That's a dangerous game to play, Shemhazai."

"But the current Maou are reasonable," Shemhazai pointed out. "And they have just as little reason to want the Underworld disrupted." He shook his head. "To be frank, we've been at de facto detente for centuries. What would we lose by drawing a line under it now?"

"It's worth considering. But let's put a pin in that for now," Azazel said, his tone amiable but firm. This was an old argument, one that Shemhazai had painstakingly brought him around on over the centuries. The advantages to maintaining an official state of hostilities were becoming less relevant every day. They had _not_ , however, completely lost relevance, and Azazel was hesitant to pull the trigger just now. "Right now, figuring out Kokabiel's next move is top priority. That and staying prepared for… other developments." His eyes flicked towards Vali. "We have the White Dragon Empress among our ranks, after all. It's only a matter of time before the Sekiryuutei rears his head."

"Or her head," Penemue corrected idly.

"Or her head," Azazel agreed, inclining his head graciously.

"Are you expecting to recruit the Sekiryuutei?" Vali asked dubiously.

"Not seriously, no," Azazel assured her. He mostly meant it, too. While Grigori would benefit greatly from having both Heavenly Dragons on its side, the likelihood that they would end up trying to kill each other - and get a lot of other people killed in the process - was too great. Besides, the thought of Vali even suffering a serious wound was something his mind skittered away from, like a raw nerve. "I'm more interested in keeping tabs on it."

"I have a thought." All eyes shifted towards Lavinia, who had been silent thus far. She was dressed in slim-fitting blue jeans and a slightly oversized white cashmere sweater, a surprisingly homey look for the beautiful and buxom mage. "Kuoh."

"Kuoh?" Azazel repeated.

"Something's going on in Kuoh," the Grauzauberer mage replied. "It's always been something of a hotbed for supernatural activity, but that… magnetic effect it has seems to have increased dramatically. Sooner or later, I think the Sekiryuutei will find their way there. Presuming, of course, that they haven't already…"

"You're suggesting we send agents to Kuoh?" Baraqiel said doubtfully. "I see your logic, Lavinia, but after the crap Raynare pulled there, Gremory and Sitri probably won't be inclined to let us, and they have the town sewn up tight. Trying to sneak agents in would just piss them off more."

"So don't sneak them in," Lavinia suggested. "Send me instead, openly and officially. I'm a known quantity to them, including my allegiance to Grigori. And my student lives there… in fact, she's Sona Sitri's future sister-in-law. I think they'd be willing to accept my presence, both to work with her and to act as a conduit for information-sharing."

"It'd be a good way to make sure about the viability of an alliance," Shemhazai said thoughtfully.

"You sure about this, Lavi?" Tobio asked, his brow furrowing with concern.

"I'll be fine, Tobi-kun," Lavinia assured her husband, winking.

"I'll go, too." All eyes shifted to Vali, who shrugged. "If Lavinia's right, there's a good chance the next big dust-up will be in Kuoh."

"And you'll have a chance to visit your new friends, too." Lavinia gave Vali a sisterly smile. The latter girl rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were a very faint shade of pink.

Azazel resisted the urge to raise both eyebrows, or outright ask what that was about. Vali's beauty had made her popular in Grigori, but her often-prickly demeanor meant that few besides Tobio and Lavinia had managed to grow close to her. The news that she had found other friends was heartening to Azazel, and not simply because it was one more anchor to keep the Vanishing Dragon from running amok.

Not that he didn't intend to thoroughly vet any young man who managed to pierce her armor.

Aloud, he said, "All right. I'd like Lavinia to get herself established first, though, before Vali moves in." He smirked good-naturedly. "I'm pretty sure Kuoh Academy is due a new teacher."

Vali nodded. The laziness of the gesture did nothing to mask the eagerness for action. "Sure."

Lavinia rose. "With your permission, Azazel-sama, I'll ask Asia-chan to arrange a meeting with Sona-san and Rias-san."

Azazel nodded. "Let's get the ball rolling." He picked the other item up from the table. It looked like a simple dagger fashioned from a broken spearhead, but it fairly hummed with supernatural power. Everyone present understood its significance, and its potential as a game-changer.

"I assume you don't want us to mention _that_ ," Vali observed dryly, nodding at the dagger.

"Definitely not." There was no levity in Azazel's voice now. "I'd like you to hold back on sharing about Raynare, too."

"I'm fairly certain Sitri-san and Hyoudou-san would want to know about that," Lavinia replied, a polite tone of dissent in her voice. Penemue nodded firmly.

Azazel considered that, then sighed. "I'd _still_ like you to keep it quiet… but use your judgment."

"And Heaven?" Shemhazai asked softly.

"I'll worry about Heaven for now." The Governor-General of Grigori let out a mirthless, self-deprecating chuckle. "Not like their opinion of us can get much lower."

* * *

 **Part 6: Every Road Leads to Your Door**

"Well, I'd meant to start looking for a house soon, anyway." Sona's tone was philosophical, but there were undercurrents of tiredness and anger to it. She gave Issei a grateful smile as he set her favorite tea in front of her, and took his hand as he sat next to her.

"And the fire?" Rio looked aghast, and Gorou seemed pretty stunned himself.

"Hard to miss," Sona replied. She was starting to relax, both from the tea and from Issei's physical proximity. He was glad to see it. "We saw it several blocks out, on our way home from training. By the time we actually got to my complex, it was completely ablaze."

"Do you know how?" Gorou asked. His expression was sliding towards grimness; it was clear he had his suspicions about the fire's origin. Issei had a feeling that he shared them.

"It probably isn't the House of Phenex, despite the usage of fire," Serafall said. Her usually cheer was in abeyance, and if she were hovering any closer to her little sister, she'd be literally sitting on her. Her own expression suggested that she had some suspicions of her own, but no actual proof. (Once again, Issei had a guess what her hunch was, and he was pretty sure she was right.)

"No," Sona agreed. "Certainly not as an official family action."

Rio shifted her gaze to Serafall. "Serafall-san, you're looking into this, right?"

Serafall nodded firmly. "The minute I know something, you guys will, too." She paused, clearly weighing whether to say something or not, then admitted, "I've had eyes on the villa where Riser's exiled himself. He hasn't moved an inch. And Reina-chan assures me he has no access to their family accounts anymore."

"At least no one was hurt," Issei pointed out. He did his best to keep his voice mild and soothing. Much as he wanted to riddle Riser Phenex with holes on general principles, that would be a bad idea if it wasn't him. (Even if no one in the room had a doubt that he was somehow involved.) And taking care of Sona was the most important thing.

"That's true," Sona admitted. "Emergency services were very efficient tonight. No one lost a family member, or even a pet. Just their homes." Sona's voice had a note of guilt in it, and she grimaced, shifting her gaze to Serafall. "Onee-sama, can you help me set up a compensation fund for my neighbors?"

Serafall nodded. "Already done."

"And you're staying here," Issei declared. It wasn't until he heard his parents agree that he realized he'd forgotten to consult with them.

"Thank you." Sona looked unsurprised, but relieved nonetheless. "It'll just be for a little while."

"Or you could just stay. Period." Once again, Issei realized he probably should have asked his parents before saying that, although their tolerant expressions showed a lack of objection.

Sona gave him the first genuine smile of the evening, and if it was exhausted, it was also fond. "I appreciate it, Issei-kun. But I would feel most comfortable with a space of my own. Or, rather, a space we and the others could share." She squeezed his hand. "I promise, though, that I won't go far, and you'll be the first to get a key."

Issei smiled back, feeling a little sheepish. "Good enough."

-xxxx-

"Sona-san's really been focused on the house hunt, huh?" Kaori observed. She and Issei sat at his dinner table, plugging away at homework.

Issei nodded. "It's getting narrowed down. The list she started was half the houses in Kuoh. Now, it's less than a quarter." He chuckled. "Rias-san suggested they buy several houses, and consolidate them into one big mansion for both their peerages. Sona-chan nixed that, though. Just as well; they'd drive each other nuts if they were living together."

"Not to mention that Akeno-sempai would never stop teasing you," Kaori added with a smirk.

"Not to mention that _ever_ , please," Issei replied, a faint note of pleading in his voice.

"You know she only does that because of how you react," Kaori told him with a shake of her head. "Stop giving her ammunition." She squeezed his arm, and found her hand was comfortable there, so it stayed.

"All right, already," Issei said, his expression relaxing at her touch. It wasn't the first time her presence and/or touch had seemed unusually soothing to him, and that both warmed and mystified her.

"You two look awful cozy," Rio commented cheerily as she passed the dinner table. "Can I bring you any snacks?"

"We're okay, thank you, Hyoudou-san," Kaori replied with a smile.

"I don't think it's too early for you to call me 'kaa-san' yet." Rio's tone was good-naturedly teasing, and her smile widened as both Issei and Kaori blushingly rolled their eyes.

"I'll keep that in mind," Kaori promised,

"And you really should too, Sona-chan," Rio added. Kaori and Issei both looked up as their King entered the dining room.

"I know, Rio-san," Sona answered politely. Her serene half-smile was the equivalent of someone else's shit-eating grin. She pecked Issei on the cheek, and after a moment did the same to Kaori.

"Good news?" Kaori asked, smiling at the kiss. The idea of intimacy with another girl was one that her internal jury was still out on. Small affectionate touches, however, felt just right.

"Very good news," the Sitri heiress acknowledged. "I just found a place. It cost a little more than I was hoping for, but it's perfect otherwise." Her smile widened fractionally. "Would you like to take a look?"

"It's that close, huh?" Issei asked, straightening up.

"Very," Sona agreed.

Gorou entered the house, loosening his tie. "Rio, do you know anything about Tanaka-san next door moving?

Rio looked at him in surprise. "Tanaka-san? You're not serious." She caught Kaori's look of confusion. "Tanaka-san's been here since before _we_ moved in, just before Issei was born. He's always said he'd never move, not even if someone offered a hundred million yen for the house."

"And that was back when the economy was _better_ , too." Gorou hooked a thumb over his shoulder at the door. "I swear, it's what he said."

Rio took off her apron and draped it over the back of a chair. "This I've _got_ to hear. Come on, Gorou-kun." She made a beeline for the front door, and her husband shrugged and followed.

Issei and Kaori looked at the former's parents, and then at each other, and then finally at Sona. "You didn't," the latter said, raising both her eyebrows in surprise.

"I did say it was very close," Sona replied, her eyes amused and happy. Kaori was starting to be able to read her too, and _that_ was kind of surprising in its own implications. "Why don't you two take a break, and come see?"

-xxxx-

"I always said I'd never sell, even for a hundred million yen," Tanaka Daisuke said sheepishly. The retired teacher was in his late sixties, but vigorous enough to pass for two decades younger, and had always been a genial elder-statesman presence in the neighborhood. "But when Sona-san here offered me _two_ hundred million, well…" He laughed, and gave Issei a half-amused, half-envious look. "Quite the girlfriend you've got, Issei-kun!"

"We're engaged, actually, Tanaka-san." Issei was blushing, but looked pretty pleased himself. "But yeah, I'm a lucky guy."

"If it's all right, Tanaka-san, I'm going to show Issei-kun and our friend around the house?" Sona asked.

"Sure, go right ahead," Tanaka told her. "Just let us old folks here catch up."

"Take your time," Gorou assured the teenagers as they went deeper into the house.

"Wow. Kaori called it," Issei commented as the three of them walked through the house and into the backyard. The house's interior was actually somewhat larger than the Hyoudou home, although its yard was much smaller, and somewhat neglected. Once upon a time, it had been full of well-tended exotic flowers. Since Tanaka Kotori's passing, however, her husband had struggled just to keep the weeds under control. "It's really nice in here."

Sona nodded, looking around the yard. Issei could clearly see the wheels turning in her head, ideas forming for what to do with the neglected space. "He mentioned that his daughter has been after him to move to Tanegashima with her. The timing was nearly perfect." She smirked in amusement. "Of course, this gave someone else an idea." She nodded to the fence.

"Hello, neighbors!" Rias waved cheerfully from the backyard of the other house. She was dressed in casual clothes and an apron, and appeared to be gathering vegetables from the garden, (The Watanabes were nearly fanatical about their vegetable garden… or had been, apparently.) "Fancy meeting you here."

"Rias-san?" Issei said dubiously. "Did you buy that house?"

"Sona made an excellent point about needing a new base for my peerage once I graduate from the high school division," Rias explained. "And the houses in your neighborhood are very nice. Even if the homeowners charge through the nose." She said the last sentence in a tone that blending annoyance and amusement, and offered Issei a fresh tomato.

"Thanks." Issei accepted it, his expression one of bemusement. "And I'm sure that when word gets out in the Underworld about your new place…"

"Yes, its proximity to yours is rather convenient for building that fiction," Rias admitted. "But don't worry. I won't be appearing in your house without warning." Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Unless you're making shabu-shabu, that is."

"I'm afraid that won't be happening until the housewarming party," Sona said, shaking her head in fond exasperation. "There are times I almost wish I'd agreed to _your_ suggestion, but we'd drive each other crazy too quickly."

Rias nodded in agreement. "It would have been nice, but you're right. We get along best when we have our own spaces."

Sona nodded, turning back towards Issei and Kaori. "I know you'll be happy with this place, Issei-kun. And you as well, Kaori; there'll be room for everyone to be comfortable when the renovations are done."

"Renovations?" Issei and Kaori asked in unison.

"They'll be magical ones, made with onee-sama's help," she explained. "Everyone in the peerage will have a room to stay in, if they need or want it, and there'll be a meeting room and office. I have some other ideas, but they'll take some time to get sorted out first."

"Feel free to spoil the surprise," Issei said eagerly.

"I'll spoil one thing," Sona said with a smirk. "Remember those onsens in the Gremory territory I mentioned? Think how nice it would be to have access to one anytime."

Issei perked up, a rare lecherous smile spreading across his face. Oh, he could think of it. Maybe with a specific section for him and his girls, swimsuits - hell, _towels_ \- completely optional…

"My my, Issei-kun, such a face." Rias's good-naturedly teasing voice snapped him out of the fantasy, and he flushed as she chuckled. "Now _that's_ the Hyoudou Issei of rumor."

Issei chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, my mind was wandering."

"I'll say," Kaori said, her expression one of affectionate exasperation. She did, however, shift slightly so that her body was oriented on his. "Might wanna wipe your chin, Ise."

"Well, I'd better get started on dinner," Rias said, wearing a playful smirk of her own. "Good night, you guys." She took her vegetables back into the house, and Sona gave Issei an affectionately exasperated look of her own. Once Rias was inside, her lips quirked upwards, and she gave Kaori a mock-longsuffering look. "The perils of marrying a dragon. They're always insatiable."

"Mmm." Kaori just nodded solemnly, although the effect was ruined by her smirk. "The things we go through for him."

"Ha ha," Issei said, blushing deeper and rubbing the back of his head. "Maybe we should head back inside now."

"Yes, let's," Sona said dryly, her expression relaxing. As they re-entered the house, she continued, "As soon as the paperwork has changed hands, onee-sama, Rias, and I will start putting in magical defenses and wards. And, of course, you'll get keys that double as access passes for the wards. All of you." There was a faint but noticeable emphasis on the word "all," and he knew that it meant his - their - small family-in-the-making. "The rest of the peerage will get them as well. So will onee-sama, Rias, and Issei-kun's parents, in case of emergencies. But there will be some things that we will be able to access." Again, the subtle emphasis, this time on "we."

"Makes sense," Kaori commented. "We don't want anyone stumbling on the secret sex dungeon," she added sarcastically.

"Do you _want_ a secret sex dungeon?" Sona shot back, one eyebrow arched.

Kaori turned really red. Finally, she managed, "A bed that can fit all of us comfortably will be good enough."

"If you're sure." Sona's eyes twinkled with affectionate teasing.

"I second the 'really big bed' idea," Issei said quickly. BDSM was definitely _not_ his thing, no matter how hot Sona and Kaori would look in skimpy latex.

" _That_ is already on order," Sona assured them. "The master bedroom will be quite comfortable for all of us."

"I love it," Issei said. "Everything you have in mind, all the room you're making for everyone… a home." In his nostrils, cinnamon and sugar were interwoven with the springtime garden in his nostrils, and even in the absence of other scents, that was enough to fill him with contentment.

He pulled Sona and Kaori into his arms simultaneously, and the sounds of pleased surprise they both made him grin.

"You weren't kidding about the perils of marrying a dragon," Kaori told Sona, her smirk gentling into a smile as she leaned against him. "I like the way that sounds, though."

"I'm sure we'll survive," he heard Sona reply indulgently. Her own body relaxed against Issei's. "Yes. A home is exactly what I have in mind."

Issei inhaled again. Home was exactly what this scent was beginning to be.

* * *

Notes:

This has not been a good summer for writing. (Or for much of anything that requires free time, really.) I apologize for that. Writing will continue, of course, but my schedule is in sufficient flux to make prediction of release dates… unreliable. All I can say is that Chapter 7 will come out ASAP! (For very, very loose values of ASAP, of course.)

What was supposed to be a short interlude turned into this stage-setting chapter. Season 2 will be very busy - but to say more would be very blatant spoilers.

As promised, here is an updated harem list:

Confirmed (in-story): Sona (head wife), Kaori, Aika, Reya, Tsubasa

Confirmed (by author, for future): Ravel, Irina, Vali

Open Slots: 1 (candidates in descending order of likelihood: Kuroka, Ingvild, Seekvaira, Tomoe)

The chronology of sections is as follows:

Part 1: During Ch. 6, the night of the Rating Game victory celebration

Part 2: Immediately following Ch. 6, same night as the last section

Part 3: Friday of the same week

Part 4 and 5: Concurrent with each other, approximately three weeks after Ch. 6's conclusion

Part 6: One week after Part 6

The chapter title is taken from Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes." The section subtitles take their names from the following songs (in order): Mike + The Mechanics' "The Living Years"; Freelance Whales' "Hannah"; Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down" and "The Phoenix"; Train's "Calling All Angels"; and Chicago's "Will You Still Love Me?"


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